US President Barack Obama has applauded Nobel Committee's decision to honour jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo with this year's Peace Prize and asked Beijing to release the courageous human rights activist as soon as possible. Obama said in a statement by granting the prize to Liu, the Nobel Committee had chosen someone who had been an eloquent and courageous spokesman for the advance of universal values through peaceful and non-violent means, including his support for democracy, human rights and the rule of law. The US President said this award reminded that political reform had not kept pace, and that the basic human rights of every man, woman and child must be respected.