BEIJING (AFP) -
China lashed out Friday at the "political theatre" of the Nobel committee, saying its awarding the 2010 Peace Prize to jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo was a product of a "Cold War mentality".

"Facts fully show that the decision of the Nobel committee cannot represent the overall majority of the people of the world," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in a statement.

"One-sidedness and lies have no footing to stand on, a Cold War mentality is unpopular.

"This kind of political theatre will never shake the determination and the confidence of the people of China to uphold the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics."

Jiang was speaking just as the ceremony to award the 2010 Peace Prize to Liu in absentia was taking place in Oslo.

She further reiterated Beijing's insistence that the award to Liu was an attempt to foment unrest in China and bring political instability to the world's most populous nation.

"The plots of these people are doomed to failure," she said.

"We resolutely oppose any nation and any person to use the Nobel prize to interfere in China's internal affairs or violate China's judicial sovereignty."

Liu, a writer who has advocated political reform in China for more than two decades, was jailed in December 2009 for 11 years on subversion charges after co-authoring Charter 08, a bold petition calling for change.

Beijing has reacted with fury to the award, describing the Norwegian Nobel Committee as "clowns" and threatening other countries to stay away from the ceremony, while preventing the jailed dissident or a representative from travelling to Oslo to receive the award.