Beijing: China dismissed criticisms by the European Union and Austria over the execution of a Chinese medical researcher and businessman accused of spying for Taiwan, saying today that he received a fair trial.

Wo Weihan was executed Friday after being convicted of passing data on missile guidance systems to a group linked to Taiwanese intelligence agencies. Taiwan and China were divided amid civil war in 1949.

The EU issued a statement condemning Wo's execution and deploring the conditions under which Wo was detained and tried, saying it did not comply with international standards.

It said China had not heeded repeated calls by the EU and several of its member states for the execution to be deferred and for the death sentence passed against Wo to be commuted.

The trial of Wo Weihan was just and his rights had been protected, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement today on the ministry's Web site.

Qin said China views the EU's criticism as a "rude interference in China's judiciary that tramples the spirit of the rule of law and undermines the basis of the healthy development of bilateral talks on human rights."

"We were strongly dissatisfied with and opposed to (the accusation) and urged all concerned parties to immediately correct the mistake and stop the words and actions concerning interventions in other country's judicature," Qin said.

The United States also expressed concerns over the case, saying Friday it was "deeply disturbed" by the execution and that Wo's arrest and trial appeared to have fallen "far short of international standards for due process."

Source : PTI