China Shrugs Off U.S. Criticism Over Activist's Arrest

China today dismissed U.S. State Department criticism of its arrest last month of prominent AIDS activist Hu Jia. "It is disturbing, and I would expect that the Chinese government would want to provide some details about this case," State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack told reporters on Monday. "Nobody is above the law in China," said foreign ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu in response. "Hu Jia is being investigated ... in accordance with the law for suspected offenses." Hu was arrested on charges of "incitement to subvert state power" over the Christmas holidays. Activists say his detention is part of a crackdown by Beijing on its critics leading up to the Olympics in August. A European diplomatic source said the European Union is also concerned about the arrest and is planning to issue a formal protest over the matter.

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