Blind mainland activist Chen Guangcheng is likely to be given asylum in America in the coming days as US and Chinese officials try to strike a deal before high-level bilateral talks start in Beijing, a US rights group said yesterday.
Chen, a self-taught legal advocate who exposed forced abortions and sterilisations in Shandong , fled from house arrest on Sunday of last week and is believed to be sheltering at the US embassy in Beijing.
Bob Fu, of the China Aid Association, who has been in touch with Chen and US officials, said both countries want a speedy resolution of the case so it will not overshadow the annual strategic and economic dialogue which begins on Thursday.
'I guess the solution would be for his whole family to go to the US,' Fu said, adding that it would be under the pretext of allowing Chen to seek medical treatment. 'It is now a diplomatic issue and both sides want to resolve this as soon as possible ... if China is willing to facilitate [his exit], the US is eager to resolve this.'
Fu said a decision was likely to be announced in state media in the next couple of days. A US embassy spokesman declined to comment yesterday and the Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a question last night.
Friends of Chen say he does not want to leave the mainland. Fellow activist Hu Jia said Chen had earlier expressed a wish to establish a non-government organisation in Beijing to champion the rights of the disabled and be free from harassment in Shandong. '[Finding refuge at the embassy] is a means to an end, not to seek asylum, but to buy time to search for a solution so he can regain his personal safety and not have to live in a black jail again,' Hu said on Saturday, shortly before he was detained by police for 24 hours over his meeting with Chen.
Chen said after his escape that he and his wife were severely beaten by officials and appealed to Premier Wen Jiabao for protection.