Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang criticised France's decision to grant political asylum to Grace Meng, wife of former Interpol head Meng Hongwei, who was arrested in China in September 2018 on corruption charges.
"There is no so-called political persecution. If Meng Hongwei's wife wanted to apply for political asylum in France, it would be an abuse of French legal procedures", the spokesman said.
Grace Meng's lawyer, Emmanuel Marsigny, announced earlier that the woman and her children had been granted political asylum in France on 2 May.
Last week, prosecutors in the Chinese city of Tianjin announced that they had referred Meng Hongwei's case to court. He is charged with having misused his powers as Chinese vice-minister of public security in the past for personal gain, as well as receiving expensive gifts and large sums of money.
READ MORE: China Officially Arrests Ex-Interpol Chief on Suspicion of Bribery — Statement
Meng Hongwei started working as Interpol's president in 2016, but abandoned his post after being arrested in September 2018 during a visit to his homeland. Grace Meng insists that the case against her husband was politically motivated and that China has presented "no proof whatsoever to back up their charges".
