| Blind Activist and Family To Leave China in Guise of Fellowship Study in U.S. |
| May-04-2012 |
| Keywords: cheng, leave china, fellowship, u.s. university, state department, negotiation |
Entry Text: In what appears to be an 11th hour save, the Chinese government may allow blind activist Chen Guangcheng and his family to leave the country to pursue fellowship studies at an unnamed U.S. university.
That's the latest news out of the State Department. Agency spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the Chinese government is expected to accept travel applications for Chen and his family for travel to the United States. For its part, the U.S. State Department will give "priority attention" to the visa requests, bringing to an end the more than one-week saga that, in some part, U.S. government officials appear to have played a large part in creating.
Media attention focused on Chen's plight after he escaped house arrest last month in his rural town and sought refuge in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing last week.
He left six days later under a U.S. negotiated deal in which he and his family were to be reunited at a hospital, then safely relocated in China. But that deal quickly unraveled amid allegations that the U.S. passed along threats to Chen's family and U.S. officials left him along his hospital room surrounded by Chinese security guards.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke in Beijing shortly after the Chinese government issued its announcement that Chen, like any other Chinese citizen is entitled to apply for travel abroad.
Clinton saying that she was encouraged by the new developments. "Over the course of the day, progress has been made to help him have the future that he wants," said Clinton.
Read more about the behind the scenes negotiations on FOXNews.com: China appears willing to grant Chen visa to study abroad |
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Posted by Lou Dobbs Staff at 1:00 PM Email to a friend |
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