BEIJING (AFP) - China said Friday that giving the Nobel Peace Prize to jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo ran contrary to the principles of the award, and warned ties with Norway would suffer.

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"The Nobel Peace Prize should be awarded to those who work to promote ethnic harmony, international friendship, disarmament and who hold peace meetings. These were (Alfred) Nobel's wishes," foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said.

"Liu Xiaobo was found guilty of violating Chinese law and sentenced to prison by Chinese judicial organs," Ma said in a statement on the ministry's website.

"His actions run contrary to the purpose of the Nobel Peace Prize. By awarding the prize to this person, the Nobel committee has violated and blasphemed the award."

The spokesman added that the awarding of the prize to the 54-year-old co-author of Charter 08, a bold manifesto calling for political reform in communist-ruled China, would "damage Sino-Norwegian relations".

Norway's Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg congratulated jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo for his Nobel Peace Prize award Friday, despite a warning from Beijing that the award would be seen as "an unfriendly gesture."

"I would like to congratulate Liu Xiaobo, who has been awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize for his work to promote democracy and human rights," Stoltenberg said in a statement.

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