Chinese cyberspace lit up with criticism following the Nobel Peace Prize nomination of US businessman and Republican Party presidential candidate Donald Trump over his statements on Muslims, immigrants and China.

The nomination has also led many Chinese netizens to question the prize's authority.

According to a copy of the nomination letter that Nobel watcher Kristian Berg Harpviken, the director of the Peace Research Institute of Oslo, had received, Trump - who has attracted international condemnation by calling for a ban on Muslims entering the US - deserves the prize for "his vigorous peace through strength ideology used as a deterrence against radical Islam, ISIS, nuclear Iran and Communist China," AFP reported on Monday.

Harpviken said a US nominator, whom he did not identify, had proposed Trump as a candidate for the prize. He did not, however, list Trump among those with a chance of winning, Reuters reported.

Thousands of people around the world are allowed to make nominations for the peace prize, including members of parliament and government ministers, former laureates and some university professors, AFP reported.

Surprised at Trump's nomination, Chinese netizens cast doubts over the prize's significance.

"The Nobel Peace Prize is increasingly like the Golden Raspberry Awards," a netizen named cointek said on Sina Weibo on Thursday. The Golden Raspberry Awards or Razzies "award" the worst film and performances in the US.

"The peace prize is the least significant among all the Nobel prizes," said another Net user MessiBeans.

It is the latest round of criticism from the Chinese against the Nobel Peace Prize, after the prize was given to Chinese activist Liu Xiaobo, who was sentenced to 11 years in jail in 2009 for engaging in activities designed to overthrow the government.

Amid scant public awareness of Liu, nearly six out of 10 people polled said the Norwegian Nobel Committee should withdraw the peace prize and apologize for its decision, according to a poll conducted by the Global Times' Global Poll Center in 2010.

In 1989, the Dalai Lama also won the Nobel Peace Prize. The award has greatly irked Beijing as China considers the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader in exile, as a separatist.