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Cruz Pushes Senate On Renaming Street For Chinese Dissident

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Just hours before Chinese President Xi Jinping's arrival in the United States, Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz tried to get the Senate to back renaming a Washington street after a Chinese dissident.

The Texas lawmaker went to the Senate floor with little notice and attempted to pass a nonbinding resolution to name the street in front of the Chinese embassy in Washington "Liu Xiaobo Plaza." is a Chinese activist imprisoned on charges of inciting state subversion.

His attempt was thwarted by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, who objected to the move and said it had political implications because of the timing.

Cruz, like most of his Republican rivals, has been critical of China's role in the world.

(© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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