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                <p>BEIJING – China's Foreign Ministry has removed all references to a detained artist from its official transcript of a news conference given by its spokesman.</p>
                <p>Ten of the 18 questions asked at the news conference Thursday concerned Ai Weiwei, a prominent artist and activist who was detained Sunday at Beijing's international airport. All were omitted from the transcript posted Friday on the Foreign Ministry's website.</p>
                <p>Spokesman Hong Lei told the regularly scheduled news conference that Ai was being investigated for economic crimes, but gave no details. He said the case had nothing to do with freedom of expression, although Ai has often been a target of government harassment.</p>
                <p>"China is a country under the rule of law, and relevant authorities will work according to law," Hong said.</p>
                <p>Hong's office did not immediately respond to requests for an explanation of why the questions about Ai were omitted from the transcript.</p>
                <p>Foreign governments and international rights groups have called for Ai's release, saying the authorities appeared to be punishing him for his activism.</p>
                <p>Chinese authorities sometimes try to silence critics by accusing them of tax violations or other nonpolitical crimes. Beijing police have refused to comment on Ai's case.</p>
                <p>Ai is among China's best-known artists internationally and recently exhibited at the Tate Modern gallery in London.</p>
                <p>He is the most prominent target so far in China's massive crackdown on dozens of lawyers, writers and activists following online calls for protests similar to those in the Middle East and North Africa. No protests have occurred here.</p>
                <p>China's media have been largely silent on Ai's case, although the outspoken Global Times newspaper published by the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily has run editorials on two consecutive days accusing the West of using his case to denigrate China's legal system.</p>
                <p>In its editorial Friday, it appeared to suggest that the case against Ai wasn't entirely open and shut.</p>
                <p>"Just because Ai Weiwei is being investigated by police on suspicion of committing economic crimes doesn't necessarily mean he will be convicted. However, guilty or not is for the court to say and foreign diplomatic and public opinion pressure will not be the determining factor," the newspaper said.</p>
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