The investigation of the celebrity artist and social critic Ai Weiwei on suspicion of economic crimes is in keeping with the rule of law in China,a Chinese official said late Thursday. The catchall term economic crimes is frequently used as a legal cover by police officers who wish to detain or imprison someone whom Communist Party officials consider a political threat.
Ai Weiwei is suspected of economic crimes,and the Public Security Bureau is conducting an investigation according to law, Hong Lei,a Foreign Ministry spokesman,said at a regular news conference in Beijing. Ai,53,was detained at the Beijing airport Sunday when he tried to board a flight to Hong Kong. Chinas Foreign Ministry removed all references to him from the official transcript of the news meet.EDWARD WONG