Ai Weiwei, the Chinese government critic and dissident artist, has been given his passport back after a four-year travel ban in what appears to be a deliberate move to ward off international criticism ahead of a state visit by China’s President Xi Jinping to London in October.
Mr Ai posted an Instagram photo of himself holding a Chinese passport with the caption: “Today, I got my passport.” According to a representative, he plans to visit Berlin to have a medical check-up and see his son, who has lived abroad for 11 months.
Mr Ai was originally detained at Beijing’s airport in April 2011 as he prepared to board a flight to Hong Kong, and was held without charges for three months, after which he was released but his passport was confiscated.