BEIJING - THE United States on Thursday joined calls for the release of prominent Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, but China warned against any foreign interference in the case.

LIU'S wife Liu Xia, who last saw her husband on March 20 in a supervised visit, said she saw little hope for his release soon. 'For the moment, I cannot see any hope, given the seriousness of the crime he is accused of,' she told AFP by phone. ... more

State media reported on Wednesday that police had formally arrested Liu, a dissident writer who was a leading force behind a petition calling for democratic reforms.

'The US government is deeply disturbed by reports that Liu Xiaobo has been formally arrested and charged with serious crimes,' Richard Buangan, a spokesman for the US embassy in Beijing, told AFP. 'We call on the government of China to release Mr. Liu and respect the rights of all Chinese citizens who peacefully express their desire for internationally recognised freedoms.'

US House speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking in Washington, had earlier called for international condemnation of the arrest, calling Liu 'courageous'.

Liu, 53, was arrested on Tuesday for inciting 'subversion of the government and the overthrow of the socialist system,' Xinhua news agency said, citing Beijing police. Authorities have not yet directly confirmed the arrest.

'Foreign countries should respect China's judicial sovereignty,' foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told AFP in a faxed statement. 'We firmly oppose anyone's wrong remarks and deeds that interfere in China's internal affairs by any means.'

Liu, jailed previously for his involvement in the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement that was crushed by the army, has long campaigned through his writing for democracy and the rule of law in China. He had been detained since December after signing Charter 08, a manifesto signed by hundreds of intellectuals, scholars and dissidents that called for political and legal reforms and respect for human rights in China.

Mo Shaoping, another Charter 08 signatory and Liu's lawyer, told AFP that police said on Thursday he could not represent Liu, but they would not confirm whether this was due to his signing the manifesto. Two other lawyers working for Mo would now represent Liu, whom they hoped to meet on Friday, he said.

Mr Mo said arresting people on the basis of Charter 08 involvement would make China 'the laughing stock of the whole world.'

Mr Buangan, the US embassy spokesman, said the US was 'concerned' by reports that other Charter 08 signatories had been harassed by authorities. -- AFP