The Chinese government regrets the verdict handed down by a court in Japan in the case of Feng Jinhua, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue Monday.
Sources said that the court today sentenced Feng Jinhua to 10 months in jail with 3 years' suspension, for a graffito on a stone sculpture in front of the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.
Zhang said that China has told Japan several times that there is a political dimension to the Feng Jinhua case, and that the Japanese side should deal with it justly and reasonably.
She noted that China deeply regrets the verdict, and will continue to help safeguard Feng's rights.
( December 11, 2001)
