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Ai Weiwei’s sister, Gao Ge, said that police took Ai’s wife Lu Qing to meet him at an undisclosed location on Sunday night Ai Weiwei’s wife has been able to meet the detained artist and activist for the first time since he went missing 43 days ago, a relative said today. No one had been able to contact the 53-year-old since officials stopped him at Beijing airport on 3 April. But his sister Gao Ge said police took Ai’s wife Lu Qing to meet him at an undisclosed location on Sunday night. She was able to see and speak to him briefly and reported that he seemed healthy and was being given access to the medication he needs for diabetes. “They weren’t allowed to talk about much. They sat across a table from each other,” Gao told Associated Press. “Lu didn’t check the exact time, but it was a very short visit. … It seems he’s being taken care of, taking medicine on time and is able to move around. But other topics were off limits.” She added: “Now that we’ve seen that his health is OK, of course we are a bit less anxious, but that’s not to say we want him to stay where he is…We really want this case to be dealt with as soon as possible and for the government to follow proper procedures in keeping with Chinese law.” Ai’s mother Gao Ying said: “Now [knowing she] saw him, I feel much better.” Liu Xiaoyuan, a lawyer who has worked with Ai and who has said he is willing to represent him if necessary, said the meeting had lasted around 15 minutes. The couple had spoken mainly about their families and health, with Ai expressing concern about the effects of his situation on his mother’s state of mind. He said that Ai was not in a jail or detention centre, but that neither Lu nor Ai were sure where he was being held. The artist still had his beard and was not handcuffed during the meeting. He told his wife that he was receiving adequate food and that his blood pressure had been checked. Liu added that police had still not informed Ai’s family of his detention and that he suspected the artist was being held under residential surveillance. “That seems the most likely explanation for why no notice has been given,” said Joshua Rosenzweig of the Dui Hua foundation, which supports political prisoners. “The law is unclear on whether police have any obligation to notify the family because under normal circumstances it is carried out at home.” Police must inform relatives of detention within 24 hours, unless it would impede the investigation, and report to prosecutors on the case within a month. Residential surveillance orders last around six months. “It is supposed to be less punitive but the way it is being carried out – if it is – is really turning things on its head. It is much more advantageous to police. There are very few limits on their ability to interrogate you,” added Rosenzweig. Ai’s friend Wen Tao, 38, driver and cousin Zhang Jinsong, also known as Xiao Pang, 43, accountant Hu Mingfen, 55, and colleague Liu Zhenggang, 49, remain missing. Officials have said Ai is under investigation for suspected economic crimes and that his case is not related to human rights. Last week, vice foreign minister Fu Ying said it was “very condescending for the Europeans to come in to tell China that some people are beyond the law”. Fu made the comments after talks with Catherine Ashton, the EU’s top diplomat, although Fu said Ai was not raised in discussions. “There are rules and laws in China that need to be applied just like here,” Fu said. “And individuals, maybe they are your friends, maybe they agree with you more than others, but that should not make [them] … above the law.” But relatives believe his detention is retaliation for his social and political activism. Gao Ying told CBS recently that officials told her they were investigating “whether or not he was involved with an ‘event’”. She said she had told them she could guarantee with her life that he was an individual artist who had nothing to do with protest movements. “I think in reality, he was taken because he was protecting the rights of ordinary citizens and speaking for them. …His goal was not to go against his country. He wants this country to develop on a healthy path. I think …he offended people in power and they hate him, so now they are looking for an opportunity to take him down,” she added. Ai Weiwei China Human rights Tania Branigan guardian.co.uk