G**L 发帖数: 22804 | 1 U.S., China Strike Deal Over Activist
By KEITH JOHNSON And JOSH CHIN
Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng will remain in China under a deal
struck between Washington and Beijing and will attend school, according to a
U.S. official, 10 days after his escape from home confinement and flight to
U.S. protection pressured U.S.-China relations.
The Associated Press reported that Mr. Chen said by telephone that U.S.
officials told him that Chinese authorities threatened to kill his wife if
he didn't leave the U.S. Embassy. According to the AP, a U.S. official
denied knowledge of the threat, but said Mr. Chen was told his family would
be sent back home if he stayed in the embassy.
The deal was set to potentially resolve a thorny diplomatic issue one day
ahead of high-level talks between senior Chinese and U.S. leaders, though
China on Wednesday demanded an apology over the matter. But it had raised
questions over how the U.S. will guarantee the safety of Mr. Chen—who has
described abuse under de facto house arrest for the past 19 months—and to
what degree Beijing will allow him to resume his activist work.
"I am pleased that we were able to facilitate Chen Guangcheng's stay and
departure from the U.S. Embassy in a way that reflected his choices and our
values," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement, adding
that she spoke with Mr. Chen herself.
"Mr. Chen has a number of understandings with the Chinese government about
his future, including the opportunity to pursue higher education in a safe
environment. Making these commitments a reality is the next crucial task.
The United States government and the American people are committed to
remaining engaged with Mr. Chen and his family in the days, weeks, and years
ahead," the statement continued.
Mr. Chen, a vocal opponent of forced abortions under China's one-child
policy, will be relocated to a different part of China, the U.S. official
said on Wednesday, adding that he will be allowed to attend a university "
like any other student." The official stressed that Mr. Chen didn't request
asylum and made clear he wanted to stay in China.
The U.S. urged the Chinese government not to punish those who helped him and
said that Beijing had pledged to investigate local officials who Mr. Chen
has alleged mistreated him. China's Foreign Ministry didn't respond to
requests for comment late Wednesday.
"We think we have helped him secure a better future," said one U.S. official
, while a second official added, "he will have an opportunity to continue to
make a difference."
Officials said that Mr. Chen entered the U.S. Embassy on Thursday with the
help of embassy personnel, in their first confirmation of claims by Chinese
human-rights activists who had spoken with Mr. Chen. U.S. officials said
they helped Mr. Chen on humanitarian grounds because he injured his foot
while escaping, adding that he scaled no fewer than eight walls during his
flight.
On Wednesday Mr. Chen left the embassy to seek medical attention and to be
reunited with his family, which he left behind when he fled his home in
China's eastern Shandong province. Mr. Chen was at Beijing's Chaoyang
Hospital on Wednesday. Police were ousting reporters from the facility
Wednesday afternoon.
U.S. officials said Mr. Chen expressed a desire to speak with Mrs. Clinton
while on the way to the hospital. They had a brief phone conversation, and
Mr. Chen told her, in broken English, "I want to kiss you," according to
officials.
U.S. officials said the issue could linger ahead of talks this week but
suggested the deal showed that relations between Washington and Beijing had
made progress. "This was not easy for the Chinese government," said one
official.
Meanwhile, China's state-run Xinhua news agency said the government demanded
an apology from U.S. officials over the matter.
"It should be pointed out that Chen Guangcheng, a Chinese citizen, was taken
by the U.S. side to the U.S. embassy in Beijing via abnormal means, and the
Chinese side is strongly dissatisfied with the move," said Chinese Foreign
Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin, according to Xinhua.
He added that China demands that the U.S. "thoroughly investigate the event,
hold relevant people accountable and ensure that such an event does not
happen again," according to Xinhua.
A senior U.S. official declined to address the demand for an apology but
said "this was an extraordinary case, involving exceptional circumstances,
and I do not anticipate that it will be repeated." The official added, "we
intend to work closely inside the U.S. government to fully insure that our
policies are consistent with our values."
Despite the apology issue, an agreement on Mr. Chen's fate potentially ends
a stumbling block between the U.S. and China one day before the beginning of
high-level talks. Mrs. Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner
arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to hold two days of talks with their Chinese
counterparts on economic and strategic matters.
Experts had said Mr. Chen's plight could distract from or derail talks. U.S.
officials over the weekend sent U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt
Campbell, the State Department's top Asia envoy, to Beijing to help defuse
the issue ahead of the talks.
But the deal may raise questions about how the U.S. would guarantee the
safety of an activist who has said he was beaten and mistreated since his
home confinement began in September 2010.
At least one prominent Chinese dissident said Wednesday that he didn't
believe that was a concern. "There's no way because this has already become
an international issue," artist Ai Weiwei said, adding that he thought the
handling of Mr. Chen's case demonstrated a "maturing" in the U.S.-China
relationship.
Mr. Ai did say, however, that he though Mr. Chen's ability to continue with
the legal advocacy he was pursuing before he was imprisoned would be limited
. "If he does it, it will be restricted," the artist said.
News of Mr. Chen's release set off a flurry of activity on Chinese social
media sites despite blocks on use of his name or related terms. Many users
of Twitter-like microblogging site Sina Weibo welcomed the notion that the
activist would be allowed to stay in China, but others expressed skepticism
over the conditions of his release.
"Phrase of the year: left of his own volition," wrote Southern Metropolis
Daily reporter Feng Xiang, an apparent reference to former Chongqing police
chief Wang Lijun, who spent a night in the U.S. consulate in the city of
Chengdu in February. Mr. Wang's stay in the Chengdu consulate began a series
of events that led to the toppling of high-flying Chinese Communist Party
official Bo Xilai in March.
Others mocked the Chinese Foreign Ministry's contention in announcing Mr.
Chen's release that "China is a country under rule of law, and its citizens'
legitimate rights and interests are protected by the Constitution and laws.
"
"We're paying a lot of attention, but we really don't understand," wrote on
user from the coastal city of Xiamen. "Are we rule of law or rule by law?"
Blinded after a childhood illness, Mr. Chen overcame illiteracy and audited
law classes on the way to becoming a locally celebrated "barefoot lawyer."
Early in his career, he advocated on behalf of people with disabilities,
later making a splash with a high-profile campaign against forced abortions
being carried out in his home province under the one-child policy.
After his family-planning campaign led to the firing of local officials, Mr.
Chen was detained by local authorities. In 2006, he was sentenced to four
years in prison for disturbing the public order, charges supporters say were
trumped up.
Upon his release from prison in 2010, he and his family were confined to
their home, watched over by plainclothes guards who sometimes beat them
severely, he and other activists have said.
Mr. Chen's plight turned him into a cause celebre among activists and others
, a number of whom tried to visit him, which occasionally resulted in
confrontations with guards. "Batman" actor Christian Bale was roughly turned
away when he tried to visit Mr. Chen in December.
—Brian Spegele contributed to this article. | G***G 发帖数: 16778 | 2 I hope he could stay in the U.S. and use American tax.
a
to
would
【在 G**L 的大作中提到】 : U.S., China Strike Deal Over Activist : By KEITH JOHNSON And JOSH CHIN : Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng will remain in China under a deal : struck between Washington and Beijing and will attend school, according to a : U.S. official, 10 days after his escape from home confinement and flight to : U.S. protection pressured U.S.-China relations. : The Associated Press reported that Mr. Chen said by telephone that U.S. : officials told him that Chinese authorities threatened to kill his wife if : he didn't leave the U.S. Embassy. According to the AP, a U.S. official : denied knowledge of the threat, but said Mr. Chen was told his family would
| k******1 发帖数: 2883 | 3 先吻后日,陈瞎子真风流。
a
to
would
【在 G**L 的大作中提到】 : U.S., China Strike Deal Over Activist : By KEITH JOHNSON And JOSH CHIN : Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng will remain in China under a deal : struck between Washington and Beijing and will attend school, according to a : U.S. official, 10 days after his escape from home confinement and flight to : U.S. protection pressured U.S.-China relations. : The Associated Press reported that Mr. Chen said by telephone that U.S. : officials told him that Chinese authorities threatened to kill his wife if : he didn't leave the U.S. Embassy. According to the AP, a U.S. official : denied knowledge of the threat, but said Mr. Chen was told his family would
|
|