The US told to ”stop making irresponsible remarks”. Thinkstock

Beijing, August 6

China on Saturday lashed out at the US for describing jail sentences given to four human rights activists as “politically motivated”, saying the American accusations are groundless and constituted interference in its internal affairs.“The US accusations are groundless and China urged the United States to respect the facts, speak and act cautiously, and stop making irresponsible remarks on the case,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.She said China firmly opposed American interference in its internal affairs and judicial sovereignty.Hua was commenting on the remarks made by US State Department deputy spokesperson Mark Toner concerning the conviction of four Chinese human rights activists.Toner had said that the charges against the activists were “vague and apparently politically motivated” and urged Chinese officials to release the detainees and remove restrictions on their freedom of movement and professional activities.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) “China is a country under the rule of law, and Chinese judicial authorities deal with related cases in accordance with law so that the legitimate rights and interests of defendants could be effectively protected,” Hua was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.She claimed that Chinese people widely supported the trial and generally opposed any actions that endangered the national security and undermined the social stability.A court in Tianjin had convicted them of subverting state power after serial trials in the past four days.Of the four, Hu Shigen, described by the state media as an illegal church leader, got the longest prison term of seven and a half years. He is the eldest at 61 and had engaged in state power subversion since the 1990s, Xinhua said.All of them accepted the charges and expressed remorse, it said. PTI