China says U.S. Ambassador Gary Locke acted inappropriately when he urged Beijing to free a Chinese activist recently sentenced to jail.

The official Xinhua News Agency quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin as saying Thursday that China is "absolutely opposed to interference in its internal affairs and judicial sovereignty by any foreign countries."

The activist, Ni Yulan, has fought for the rights of people forcibly evicted from their homes. She was sentenced by a Beijing court last week to two years and eight months in jail for unruly behavior and fraud. Her husband was ordered jailed for two years.

Locke said Monday that Washington has long followed the work of Ni and her husband and urged China to release them.