France and Germany lead calls for Chinese artist Ai Weiwei release

France and Germany are leading calls for the release of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who remains missing more than 36 hours after his detention.

"I appeal to the Chinese government to urgently provide clarification, and I expect Ai Weiwei to be released immediately," the German foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, said in a statement.

Earlier this week, Ai said that he was building a studio in Berlin, partially in response to the increasing pressure he faced in China.

The artist's detention has highlighted the toughest crackdown on activists and dissidents in a decade, which has seen at least 24 people criminally detained, three more formally arrested for incitement to subversion and a dozen go missing.

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