BEIJING: A Chinese nationalist newspaper says American politicians are resorting to petty actions following a unanimous bill approval by the Senate to rename the plaza in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington after an imprisoned Chinese political dissident. The Communist Party-controlled Global Times on Sunday called the move provocative and said it’s intended to outrage Beijing, although China would not consider it a big deal. “The US has been at its wits’ end in dealing with China as it is reluctant to employ military threats or economic sanctions that may backfire,” the newspaper wrote. “The only option for Washington seems to be petty actions that disturb China.” Senate Bill 2451, as proposed by Republican presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, wants to rename the plaza after Liu Xiaobo, a Nobel Peace laureate serving an 11-year sentence on the conviction of inciting state subversion. The bill still needs to clear the House of Representatives and must be signed by the president before it can become a law, and make “1 Liu Xiaobo Plaza” official address of the Chinese Embassy.