Ai has not been heard from since Sunday, when he was taken into custody at Beijing's airport while trying to board a flight to Hong Kong -- the latest activist to be rounded up in a major crackdown on dissent.

Police also raided the Beijing studio of the avant-garde artist, 53, who has become known as much for his art as for activist work that frequently takes aim at China's ruling Communist Party.

But the Global Times -- which has links to the party and is known for its hardline editorials -- said resulting Western criticism "ignored the complexity" of the Chinese legal system and amounted to an "attack" on China.

"Ai Weiwei probably understands that on many occasions he has come close to the red line of Chinese law and it is possible that he likes this feeling," it said, adding Ai's activities were "ambiguous in law", without explaining.

"As long as Ai Weiwei continues to forge ahead, it is likely he will cross the line."

The editorial amounted to the first acknowledgement in state-run media of Ai's detention. The newspaper also carried a news story about the incident -- citing foreign media reports.

The United States, France, Germany and Britain have joined Amnesty International and other groups in calling for the release of Ai, known for helping design Beijing's "Bird's Nest" Olympic stadium.

His lawyer Liu Xiaoyuan said Wednesday he still had no news on Ai's fate, while the mobile phone of Ai's wife Lu Qing was switched off.

China's police and government have refused comment on the case.

Authorities have launched a huge clampdown on dissent following online calls for people to gather each Sunday around China in peaceful "Jasmine" protests, aimed at emulating the unrest rocking the Arab world.

No protests have been reported, but scores of dissidents, activists and rights lawyers have been rounded up in recent weeks.

Ai, a burly man with a distinctive wispy beard whose work is currently on display in London's Tate Modern gallery, has repeatedly challenged Chinese authorities.

He has investigated accusations that shoddy construction caused school collapses in a huge 2008 earthquake in southwestern China, and more recently launched a "citizen's" probe into a Shanghai fire that killed 58 people in November.

At the 2009 trial in Sichuan of another activist, Ai said he was detained and beaten by police who blocked him from testifying on behalf of the accused.

In January, his newly built Shanghai studio was demolished in apparent retaliation for criticising city policies. A month later, he said his first large solo exhibit in mainland China was cancelled over political sensitivities.

Ai told AFP last week he planned to set up a studio in Germany to show his work due to the hurdles faced in China.

China's state-run press had until now avoided mentioning Ai's detention. However, searches of his name on microblogs popular with China's more than 450 million web users appeared to be blocked by government censors Wednesday.

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