Global Times suggests artist and activist is conducting illegal fundraising as supporters send money to help with tax fight

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

A Chinese state newspaper has raised the spectre of further action against the artist and activist Ai Weiwei, alleging he could be carrying out "illegal fundraising" after thousands of supporters sent him money to pay a £1.5m tax bill.

Ai said he believed the money from well-wishers – arriving electronically, by post and even flown into his studio in the form of bills folded into paper aeroplanes – would total around 5m yuan (£490,000) by the end of Monday.

He needs to make an initial payment of 8m yuan to challenge the charges, which he says are unjustified.

The 54-year-old was held for almost three months this year, sparking an international outcry.

His family and supporters believe the detention was retaliation for his social and political activism, but state media alleged he had avoided tax and last week he was warned he would have to pay 15m yuan.

The English edition of the state-run Global Times newspaper said: "Some experts have pointed out this could be an example of illegal fundraising. Since he's borrowing from the public it at least looks like illegal fundraising.

"It is absolutely normal for a certain number of people to show their support for him with donations. But these people are an extremely small number when compared with China's total population. Ai's political preference along with his supporters' cannot stand for the mainstream public, which is opposed to radical and confrontational political stances."

Ai had already said he was accepting loans rather than donations and would repay his supporters.

"It's a beautiful thing," he told the Guardian, saying students had even offered to sell their books so they could send him cash.

"We don't need the money, but we need attention for the public to understand what is going on.

"They really want to express an opinion … so we will temporarily hold their money for them and then return it."

A picture tweeted by one of the artist's friends on Monday showed a thick stack of paper, said to be postal remittances.

"We have even had people throwing [money] over the door," Ai said.

Asked if he was worried it might prompt further action from officials, he added: "I am not worried at all … They can do anything to you and change the law to make [it] lawful. This is the way they do things. I have no illusions."

The tax charges relate to Fake Design, the company that handled Ai's affairs but was registered by his wife. He said authorities had argued he was liable as the "actual controlling person" of the firm.

It is not clear how the artist will be able to challenge the tax bill because police confiscated all the company's documents shortly after detaining him and have not allowed anyone to see them.