The State Department confirmed this morning that it’s reached a deal with the Chinese government in the case of blind dissident Chen Guangcheng:
The Chinese Government stated today that Mr. Chen Guangcheng has the same right to travel abroad as any other citizen of China. Mr. Chen has been offered a fellowship from an American university, where he can be accompanied by his wife and two children.
The Chinese Government has indicated that it will accept Mr. Chen’s applications for appropriate travel documents. The United States Government expects that the Chinese Government will expeditiously process his applications for these documents and make accommodations for his current medical condition. The United States Government would then give visa requests for him and his immediate family priority attention.
This matter has been handled in the spirit of a cooperative U.S.-China partnership.
The statement says Chen has been offered a fellowship at an “American university,” but notably doesn’t mention which one yet. Obviously, the details are still being hammered out. But the deal sounds like a good one for all sides. Not only was the Chen case a public relations disaster for the Obama administration, it also put the Chinese government’s human rights abuses in the international media spotlight. Both had an incentive to end this story as quickly as possible. And it sounds like it will be a happy ending for Chen and his family, who will be able to take time in the U.S. and decide what they want to do on a permanent basis.
This neocon, as most Americans for that matter, was sure Chen was heading for the underside of the proverbial bus. No amount of spin can hide the fact that China was being its usual ugly self and that the Big O's administration was going along. In the end, the unexpected US public outcry initiated by your dreaded neocons scared both of them into cobbling a funny all-Chinese-style "face-saving" deal. The administration did totally, absolutely nothing useful, as usual. To claim that this is an example of Obama's brilliant "diplomacy" which averted a war is very silly, Yitzhak. For that you get a thumb-down from me. Click….
PS, Yitzhak, just realized your line, "diplomacy is the art of getting what you desire without war; the peaceful resolution of conflict. Our President is a master at it. This is an undeniable diplomatic success…" may be sarcasm. In fact, now I'm almost sure. If so, my apologies for not getting it.
No sarcasm only realism. If you don't like the Chinese government, call Wal-Mart, call Apple computers. They're the ones that keep shoveling our dollars to the communists. You have lost your way and have become a self hating American. Our economy saved from a republican depression and you complain. Bin laden sleeps with the fishes, Al qaeda decimated and you belly ache. Gaddafi dead without one drop of American blood and you say it's nothing useful. Chen and his family will spend the rest of their lives in peace and freedom and you hate it. Why do you hate American success?
What is it with all the NeoCons? You support bombing for freedom and after destroying a country you demand the US accepts the poor emigrant refugees to suckle at the taxpayer’s wallet?
Was this the only Human Rights solution to this Chinese Nationalist problems with his own Gov? Why not let him stay in country and propagate change internally?
When Mr. Chen and his family are out of China and in the US (alive), then I will believe it. So far, the report is using vague and ambiguous terminology, like "indicate" or "expect" – enough ambiguity and vagueness to buy time for Hillary to get on the plane without the Chen family and not appear bad in the eyes of the world.
Mr. Chen prevailed because, in photos with his sunglasses on, he looks like an Asian Tom Cruise. He will do well in the USA.