The state-run Global Times newspaper on Friday published an article saying that Ai Weiwei’s release was not a result of Western pressure.
“Western media believe foreign pressures have worked. It seems that their interpretation will do no harm to China’s external relations,” it said.
“But China will hold its judicial sovereignty in its own hands. The country will continue to stride forward, and it will not pay heed toward this inane chatter.
“Ai Weiwei, like the rest of his countrymen, will keep living his life within the framework of Chinese laws.”