China Tuesday dismissed a call by prominent international writers and academics to release Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, laid out in a letter sent to President Hu Jintao.
"China is a country under the rule of law and will solve the relevant issue within the legal framework," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters.
"China firmly opposes any foreign interference in its internal affairs."
Liu has been in police custody for 15 days after signing an open letter — Charter 08 — calling for democratic reform in China.
The European Union and the United States have already expressed their concern over Liu's detention, but China has dismissed this as interference in its domestic affairs.
The letter sent to Hu was signed by novelists such as Britain's Salman Rushdie and Italy's Umberto Eco, and Nobel laureates in literature including Irish poet Seamus Heaney.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
