Beijing is up in arms against a United States bill aimed at renaming the plaza in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington after Liu Xiaobo, a convicted criminal in China.

Liu, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, was sentenced to 11 years in prison after he was found to have engaged in dissident activities and for attempting to overthrow the government.

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Beijing has demanded that Washington halts the passage of the bill saying that it violates the basic norms of international law.

                                                        'Serious consequences'

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said on Tuesday that China firmly opposes the bill, warning that its passage will have 'serious consequences.'

"We urge the US Congress to stop considering the bill," Hong said.

Hong, in a press conference, called on Washington to 'stop this political farce', accusing the US of trying to shame Beijing.

                                                         Ted Cruz

The bill was reportedly first filed by Republican senator and presidential candidate Ted Cruz, and was passed by the Senate last Friday.

Hong said the Senate's approval of the bill was an act violating international relations and that it should be immediately scrapped.

If passed, the official address of the Chinese embassy would become 'No. 1 Liu Xiaobo Plaza'. The embassy's current address is '3503 International Place.'

                                                        Monica Lewinsky

Chinese netizens have joined in on the controversy and have suggested renaming the street in front of the US Embassy in Beijing to 'Monica Lewinsky', a woman who was found to have had sexual relations with former US President Bill Clinton or ' Edward Snowden', the former National Security Agency 'whistleblower' who is currently in self-exile' abroad.

Ren Yuanzhe, a leading researcher of international relationship studies at China Foreign Affairs University, assured the netizens that despite the filing of the bill, it is unlikely to pass and China should not make a big deal out of it.

                                                       Unlikely

Washington had, from the start, linked the case of Xiaobo to human rights abuses being allegedly committed by Beijing.

"These politicians intended to outrage and shame Beijing by doing this," Ren said.

"But I think the American authorities are unlikely to pass the bill as we all know it is a direct provocation against China and an interference in our internal affairs," he emphasized.

TagsLiu Xiaobo, Nobel Peace Prize, Chinese Embassy, bill, china