Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese dissident who made international headlines by taking shelter in the U.S. embassy in Beijing, has now left diplomatic territory, escorted by U.S. Ambassador Gary Locke.
Mr. Chen is said to be receiving medical treatment at Beijing’s Chaoyang Hospital and his wife and daughter are reportedly en route from his native Shandong Province to join him. There were reports that Mr. Chen ”“ who has said he doesn’t want to leave China ”“ will be allowed to move to another part of the country, away from the local officials in Shandong who were responsible for holding the 40-year-old self-taught lawyer incommunicado in his home village of Dongshigu for the past 20 months.
According to a Reuters report, Mr. Chen would be moved to a ”œsafe environment” where he could attend university. ”œThis was an extraordinary case involving exceptional circumstances, and we do not anticipate that it will be repeated,” a U.S. official told Reuters.
Mr. Chen first arrived at the embassy six days ago, following a daring nighttime escape from captivity and a 500-kilometre journey to Beijing aided by an underground network of supporters. Mr. Chen’s fate was thrust to the top of the agenda as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a long-planned visit.
While Mr. Chen’s departure from the embassy seemed to be the result of negotiations between the U.S. and China, Beijing made clear it was unhappy with the entire episode. The official Xinhua newswire complained Wednesday that Mr. Chen had arrived at the U.S. embassy ”œvia abnormal means” and said the Foreign Ministry had demanded a formal apology from Washington.
Previously:
China admits women were forced to have abortions
Blind fight for justice
China Gives Times Researcher 3 Years
Reuters, May 19
Blind Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng said on Saturday he has left a hospital in Beijing and was waiting at the airport.
Chen told Reuters by telephone: “I’m at the airport now. I’ve already left the hospital. But there are many things that are still unclear.”
Chen said that his wife and two children were at the airport with him, accompanied by hospital staff.
“Yes, I might be heading for a flight to the United States, but I haven’t been told, and I haven’t received our passports, so I’m not sure yet,” Chen said. “We’re waiting to find out what’s happening.”
New York Times, By Matt Flegenheimer, Andrews Jacobs & Steven Lee Myers, May 19
Chen Guangcheng, the blind legal advocate who recently sought refuge in the American Embassy in Beijing, arrived in the heart of Greenwich Village on Saturday, holding the kind of open-air news conference that he could have never imagined while under virtual house arrest in China.
After a daylong and hastily arranged flight from Beijing, Mr. Chen stood on crutches — with a lawyer at his side and spectators being cordoned off by the police — and addressed a throng of news media, expressing gratitude to both the American Embassy and the Chinese government. He thanked the latter for “dealing with the situation with restraint and calm.â€
“I hope to see that they continue to open discourse,†he added, “and earn the respect and trust of the people.â€
Mr. Chen’s departure from China, and the negotiations that led up to it, appeared to reflect careful calculations in both countries as they seek to cooperate on a range of economic and security issues.