BBC News with John Jason

President Barack Obama has called on the Chinese authorities to release the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Liu Xiaobo, who's currently serving an 11-year jail sentence for subversion. Mr Obama said the way Beijing had treated the dissident was a reminder of the country's continuing need for political reform. Iain MacKenzie reports.

Barack Obama was speaking as both the United States president and a previous peace prize laureate. He received the award in 2009 for his efforts to bring peace to the Middle East. A statement from the White House praises Liu Xiaobo as a courageous spokesman for the advancement of human rights. And while the president goes on to acknowledge that economic progress has helped Beijing lift many citizens out of poverty, he said the case of Liu Xiaobo served as a reminder that political reforms had lagged far behind.