The diplomatic tensions between U.S. and China over the escape of blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng timing his escape with Hillary Clinton’s visit to China and taking shelter at the U.S. Embassy seems to be ending with the NYU School of Law stepping in for rescue. Though the series of events including the number of volte-faces encountered in the episode raises questions as to how much of the rescue was actually engineered by well-wishers of Chen.
People conversant with the Chinese political mindset would find it difficult to refute that the ‘daring escape’ may well have been “coaxed and allowed” by government forces in China. While there was little incentive for Chen’s well wishers to time the escape with Clinton’s visit, for well-wishers of the government, the timing of the escape helped to put Clinton in diplomatic embarrassment. It successfully helped to divert media attention to a matter of almost no consequence at a time when both the media and the delegates should have been focusing on matters that really needed to be solved for interests of U.S. Further, the blind scholar/activist’s “on China/off China” volte-faces helped to keep up media frenzy riveted to the wheelchair while U.S. diplomats were put to discomfiture by Chinese officials bringing up the issue of Chen at odd moments when matters of national importance needed to be settled.
Anyway, the matter seems to be heading towards a final solution with the NYU School of Law announcing on Friday that the school has invited Chen to be a visiting scholar “either in New York or at one of our global sites.” Chen, who is a legal scholar, has been offered a fellowship at the university which includes shelter and sustenance for his wife and two children. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland has confirmed the fact and China’s foreign ministry has said the Chen is free to apply to study abroad.
Liu Weimin a Foreign Ministry spokesman of China said that if Chen “wants to study abroad, he can, like any Chinese citizen, go through proper channels and relevant departments and procedures according to law.”
John Beckman, NYU vice president for public affairs issued a statement holding, “Chen Guangcheng has long-established relationships with faculty at the NYU School of Law, and has an invitation to be a visiting scholar at NYU – either in New York or at one of our other global sites. As a visiting scholar, he would be working with our law programs and scholars.”
