Confucius Peace Prize

Confucius Peace Prize
The 2010 Confucius Peace Prize award ceremony.
Awarded for	Promotion of world peace from an Eastern, Confucian perspective; to declare China's view on peace and human rights to the world[1]
Presented by	Private committee
Date	December 9, 2010 (2010-12-09)
Country	People's Republic of China
Reward	USD $15,000
First awarded	2010
Currently held by	Vladimir Putin

Confucius Peace Prize
Chinese	孔子和平獎
Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Kǒng Zǐ Hépíngjiǎng - Wade–Giles K'ung-tzu Hep'ingchang Min - Hokkien POJ Khóng-chú Hô-pêng Chióng Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping Hung2 Zi2 Wo4 peng4 zoeng2 - Yale Romanization Kung3 Dz3 He2ping2jyang2

The Confucius Peace Prize (Chinese: 孔子和平獎; pinyin: Kǒng Zǐ Hépíngjiǎng) was created in 2010 by an organization in the People's Republic of China (PRC) in response to a proposal by business person Liu Zhiqin on November 17, 2010, although members of the award committee said the prize had been around much longer. The chairman of the committee said that the award existed to "promote world peace from an Eastern perspective", and Confucian peace specifically.^[1] The winner receives a cash prize of ¥100,000 RMB ($15,000 USD).^[2] Despite an announcement in September 2011 from the Chinese Ministry of Culture that the prize would no longer be awarded, the China International Peace Research Center awarded the prize to Vladimir Putin in November 2011.^[3][4][5][6]

Origins

According to The New York Times, Liu Zhiqin, a Chinese banker, was the first to propose the prize in an editorial in the Global Times.^[7] The Traditional Culture Protection Department, a subsection of the Association of Chinese Indigenous Arts, which is registered with the Chinese Culutre Ministry delivered the first prize to Taiwanese politican Lien Chan in December 2010.^[6] Mr. Lien never claimed the prize.^[8] China's Minister of Culture talked to the United Daily News in Taipei and stated they had never heard of this prize for Lien Chan until there was newspaper coverage.^[9] The Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao reported that the letter issued by the committee to Lien Chan did not have the Ministry of Culture's official seal.^[9]

2010 Nobel peace prize

Dissident Liu Xiaobo had won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize two months earlier and that award ceremony was held on December 10;^[10] the awarding of the prize to Liu was viewed negatively in China, with some in the government arguing that Liu did not promote "international friendship, disarmament, and peace meetings", the stated goal of the Nobel Peace Prize.^[11]

Cancellation and second award

In September 2011, the Ministry of Culture stated that it would be disbanding the organisers of Confucius Peace Prize and cancelling the prize.^[3] The Ministry cited a news conference on September 17 that had not been approved, and the improper used of the ministry's name.^[6] The Chinese Folk Art Association was quick to blame a "rogue department" for the debacle surrounding the award.^[4]

Despite the cancellation, on November 15, 2011, The Guardian reported that the original organizers had formed a new committee, the China International Peace Studies Center, in Hong Kong, where they awarded the second Confucius Peace Prize to Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin. Putin beat out Angela Merkel, Bill Gates, Jacob Zuma, Kofi Annan, Yuan Longping, the Gyaincain Norbu (one of the Panchen Lamas), and Soong Chu-yu for his opposition to NATO involvement in the 2011 Libyan Civil War as well as his decision to go to war in Chechnya in 1999.^[12] According to the committee, Putin's "Iron hand and toughness revealed in this war impressed the Russians a lot, and he was regarded to be capable of bringing safety and stability to Russia." Putin was also praised for fulfilling his childhood dream of joining the KGB. The 2011 award, a gilded statuette of Confucius will be given out on December 9 along with a certificate, although the committee did not mention a cash prize.^[6]

Response to Confucius Peace Prize

The Confucius Peace Prize's first winner was former Vice President of the Republic of China and Kuomintang Chairman Lien Chan, for his contribution to developing positive ties between Taiwan and mainland China.^[13] Lien Chan did not attend the award ceremony in Beijing^[1][10] and had not officially heard that he had won; an aide said that they had only received "secondhand information from journalists".^[7] This contradicted a statement in the Global Times by the chairman of the Confucius Peace Prize Committee, Tan Liuchang, that Lien had been contacted by the committee.^[14] Tsai Chi-chang, a spokesperson for the opposition Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan, said the award should not be taken seriously.^[8] The award, consisting of a small sculpture and a bundle of 1,000 banknotes, was collected by a young girl in front of an audience of some 100 journalists.

Officials from the Taiwanese government are reported to have found the award of the Confucius Peace Prize to Lien Chan "amusing".^[10] When asked by a reporter about the prize, a spokesman for Vladimir Putin said that he had heard about the award through the press, but that "we do not know much about the prize."^[6]

The Economist compared the substitute award to the reaction by Nazi Germany and the creation of the German National Prize for Art and Science after Carl von Ossietzky was prohibited from accepting his Nobel Prize in 1935, as well as the Soviet Union preventing Andrei Sakharov from accepting his Nobel Peace Prize in 1975.^[15]

The Global Times reported that the five nominees were selected based on their being the winners of an online poll.^[14] However, when asked about the details of the online vote, the organizer said they failed to carry it out because of "technical problems", The South China Morning Post reported.^[16]

See also

• Nobel Prize controversies

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Jiang, Steven (2010-12-08). "China to hand out its own peace prize". CNN. http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/12/08/china.confucius.prize/. Retrieved 2010-12-08. 
2. ^ "Confucius Peace Prize: China To Award Nobel Rival". Huffington Post. 8 December 2010. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/08/confucius-peace-prize-china_n_793610.html. Retrieved 11 December 2010. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "关于停止中国乡土艺术协会传统文化保护部主办“第二届孔子和平奖”颁奖活动和撤销中国乡土艺术协会传统文化保护部的决定". Chinese Ministary of Culture. September 27, 2011. http://www.ccnt.gov.cn/xxfb/zwxx/ggtz/201109/t20110927_131321.html. Retrieved October 04, 2011. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Moore, Malcolm (September 29, 2011). "Confusion as Confucius Prize scrapped". The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/8796220/Confusion-as-Confucius-Prize-scrapped.html. Retrieved October 04, 2011. 
5. ^ "Ministry of Culture disbands organisers of Confucius Peace Prize". Shanghaiist. http://shanghaiist.com/2011/09/29/ministry_of_culture_disbands_organi_1.php. Retrieved October 04, 2011. 
6. ^ ^{a b c d e} "In China, Confucius Prize Awarded to Putin". New York Times. November 15, 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/world/asia/chinas-confucius-prize-awarded-to-vladimir-putin.html?hp. Retrieved November 15, 2011. 
7. ^ ^{a b} Wong, Edward (2010-12-08). "China’s Answer to Nobel Mystifies Its Winner". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/09/world/asia/09china.html. Retrieved 2010-12-08. 
8. ^ ^{a b} Yan-chih, Mo. "Lien Office Denies Hearing of Award." The Taipei Times, 8 December 2010. Web. 11 December 2010.
9. ^ ^{a b} "中國否認頒「孔子和平獎」 [China denies awarding "Confucius Peace Prize"]". Ming Pao. 2010-12-09. http://inews.mingpao.com/htm/INews/20101209/ca41348i.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-11. 
10. ^ ^{a b c} Martina, Michael (9 December 2010). "China stood up by winner of "Confucius peace prize"". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6B81YC20101209. Retrieved 12 December 2010. 
11. ^ Garnaut, John (9 October 2010). "China furious at Nobel's 'violation'". The Age (Australia: Fairfax Media). http://www.theage.com.au/world/china-furious-at-nobels-violation-20101008-16c29.html. Retrieved 9 October 2010. 
12. ^ "Vladimir Putin in China Confucius Peace Prize fiasco". BBC. 2011-11-15. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-15750979. Retrieved 2011-11-15. 
13. ^ Tran, Tini (2010-12-07). "China to award prize to rival Nobel". Yahoo! News. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101207/ap_on_re_as/as_china_nobel. Retrieved 2010-12-07. 
14. ^ ^{a b} Liu, Linlin (9 December 2010). "NGO creates 'Peace Prize'". The Global Times. http://china.globaltimes.cn/society/2010-12/600306.html. Retrieved 15 November 2011. 
15. ^ "The empty chair". The Economist. 12 December 2010. http://www.economist.com/blogs/asiaview/2010/12/china_and_nobel_peace_prize. Retrieved 12 December 2010. 
16. ^ "Confusion Prize brings Beijing doubtful reward". South China Morning Post. December 9,2010. 

External links

• China will hand out its own, very first peace prize, one day before the imprisoned activist Liu Xiaobo is honoured in Oslo with the Nobel Prize. Telegraph.co.uk