China warns America over dissident interview

The Chinese government has issued a strong warning to the United States against attempts to use the exiled dissident, Wei Jingsheng, in any campaign against Beijing.

The warning followed the broadcast of an interview with Mr Wei by the the American government's international radio station, the Voice of America.

The White House has also been criticised by the international rights group, Human Rights Watch, for trying to stop the interview from being broadcast.

A White House spokesman, Mike McCurry, said they had tried to caution the VOA about the foreign policy implications of the interview but added that the editorial independence of the VOA should not be violated.

Mr Wei was released last month by the Chinese government on medical parole, after spending eighteen years in jail for pro-democracy activities.

He has been living in the United States since his release.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service