Political activism cannot be a legal shield

Editor's note: The following article, an editorial, was published in the Global Times on April 8.

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is being investigated over "suspected economic crimes", according to authorities on Thursday. Some Western media outlets immediately questioned the charge as a "catch-all crime", and insisted on interpreting the case in their own way.

Western media claimed that Ai was "missing" or had "disappeared" in previous reports, despite their acknowledgement of Ai's detainment. They used such words to paint the Chinese government as a "kidnapper".