China says it has 'no dissidents'

“There are no dissidents in China,” foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu told reporters at a regular news briefing.

Ma made the comment in answer to a question about leading Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, whose appeal of his conviction on subversion charges was denied early Thursday.

When asked to elaborate, Ma said: “In China, you can judge yourself whether such a group exists. But I believe this term is questionable in China.”

Activists have said the treatment of Liu, who co-authored a bold petition calling for political change, is just one example of what they say is an increasing Chinese crackdown on dissent in the country.

On Tuesday, Chinese activist Tan Zuoren was jailed for five years for subversion, his lawyer said, after he probed whether shoddy construction linked to offical corruption caused school collapses in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

Liu's case has sparked calls around the world for his release, and the upholding of his sentence on appeal triggered swift U.S. and EU condemnation Thursday.

China has numerous dissidents fighting for various causes who face the constant threat of jail or even physical attacks by authorities.

In one case, activist lawyer Gao Zhisheng has not been seen or heard from since he was taken into custody in February 2009, rights groups have said.

U.S.-based Christian rights group ChinaAid said recently the police officer who detained Gao had told the attorney's brother that Gao had been “missing” since September 25, sparking concern he may have died in custody.

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