China on Tuesday refused to provide any details about the whereabouts of detained outspoken artist Ai Weiwei and chided foreign countries for supporting a "suspected criminal".
Ai, who was taken into custody in Beijing on April 3 as he tried to board a flight to Hong Kong, is under investigation for unspecified "economic crimes". Relatives of the avant-garde artist say they do not know where he was taken.
His detention — part of a major government crackdown on dissent, which followed online calls for demonstrations in China to emulate the "Jasmine" protests that have rocked the Arab world — has sparked an outcry in the West.
"Public security authorities are conducting investigations on the Ai Weiwei issue. I have no new information to share," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters, advising them to await the conclusions of the probe.
"No one is entitled to sit above the law. Anyone who breaks the law will definitely be brought to justice. No matter what reputation one may have in the past, once he breaks the law, he will have to face legal punishment," he said.
"The Chinese people also feel confused: why is that some people in some countries consider a Chinese suspected criminal as a hero? The Chinese people are unhappy about this."
The United States, Australia, Britain, France and Germany have joined Amnesty International and other rights groups in calling for the release of Ai, born in 1957, whose work is on display in London's Tate Modern gallery.
The European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Tuesday she was "alarmed" over Ai's arrest, adding: "Arbitrary arrests and disappearances must cease."
"I urge the Chinese authorities to clarify the whereabouts of all persons who have disappeared recently," she said, referring to the dozens of lawyers and activists rounded up in recent weeks.
China typically uses charges such as subversion to put away government critics, but has also previously levelled accusations of various economic crimes such as tax offences to silence others.
Neither Ai's wife nor his attorney were reachable by telephone when contacted by AFP on Tuesday for comment.
The United States last week levelled harsh criticism at China over the heavy crackdown on government critics in recent months — earning a scathing rebuttal from Beijing on Monday, and tough talk from Hong on Tuesday.
"We advise the US side to reflect on its own human rights issues. Stop acting as a preacher of human rights or interfering in other's internal affairs by various means," the spokesman said.
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