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Mimi Lau

Germany stepped up its public support for ailing Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo on Monday, with Berlin saying Chancellor ­Angela Merkel hoped Beijing would show “a signal of humanity” towards the dissident.
The appeal came as the Chinese hospital treating Liu said it had ordered its medical staff to be ready to resuscitate Liu, saying for the first time that his condition was critical.




The German embassy in Beijing also complained about leaked surveillance video of a German doctor’s visit to Liu at a hospital in Shenyang, Liaoning province, saying the footage was released without permission.
In Berlin, Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said the latest report of Liu’s worsening health “is depressing”.
“This tragic case of Liu Xiaobo is a great concern for the chancellor, and she would like a signal of humanity for Liu Xiaobo and his family,” Seibert said.
Chinese evade censors to express sorrow, anger over plight of Liu Xiaobo
Asked whether the chancellor spoke to President Xi Jinping about Liu’s family’s wish for the dissident to be treated overseas, Seibert said he would not comment on confidential conversations, the Associated Press reported.
A German foreign ministry source said Germany “had several high-level discussions with the Chinese side on Liu’s wish to exit China for medical treatment”.
“We continue to stand ready to accept Liu Xiaobo for medical treatment in Germany,” the source said.
Berlin-based Chinese dissident and writer Liao Yiwu said that according to a mutual friend, Merkel had “tried her best to raise the issue of Liu Xiaobo every day” with the Chinese president during his stay in Germany for a state visit and the G20 summit last week.
Foreign doctors advise more MRI scans, possible radiation therapy for Liu Xiaobo
Meanwhile, the German embassy criticised the release of footage apparently showing German and US specialists visiting Liu in his ward with their Chinese counterparts. In the clips, the foreign doctors appeared to praise the quality of care Liu received at the First Hospital of China Medical University in Shenyang.
The embassy said the recordings “were made against the expressed wishes of the German side”.
“It seems that security organs are steering the process, not medical experts. This behaviour undermines trust in the authorities dealing with Mr Liu’s case, which is vital to ensure maximum success of his medical treatment,” the embassy said in a statement.
Foreign doctors advise more MRI scans, possible radiation therapy for Liu Xiaobo
The hospital also issued a statement saying Liu suffered from multiple kidney, abdominal, intestine and internal bleeding problems. His blood pressure was low and an MRI scan indicated that his liver cancer had grown.
The hospital ruled him out as a candidate for radiotherapy and other interventional treatment.
“The team of [Chinese] specialists assessed the patient’s condition as critical ,” the hospital’s statement said.
The Chinese medical team’s assessment countered the foreign doctors’ opinion that other options such as intervention and radiotherapy could be pursued if Liu’s liver function improved. The US and German specialists who saw Liu on Saturday said Liu could be moved overseas safely but quick action was needed.
Liu Xiaobo vigil: doctors tell Chinese Nobel laureate’s family to prepare for his death
Asked on Monday if Liu would be allowed to go overseas for treatment, Reuters reported that Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said: “China hopes relevant countries will respect China’s sovereignty and will not use individual cases to interfere with China’s internal affairs.”
Liu was released to the hospital on medical parole last month after being diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. He was serving an 11-year sentence on a subversion charge.


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Angela Merkel

Merkel appeals to China for ‘humanity’ for ailing Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo

German, US and Chinese specialists examine Liu Xiaobo at a hospital in Shenyang. Photo: Handout

Chinese evade censors to express sorrow, anger over plight of Liu Xiaobo

A screenshot from YouTube shows a man believed to be China's Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo receiving medical treatment in hospital. Photo: Kyodo

These images displayed on the screens in Beijing, Sunday, July 9, 2017, show the official website of the First Hospital of China Medical University in Shenyang, northern China, and photos showing German Dr. Markus W. Buchler, second left, both top and bottom, of Heidelberg University, and American Dr. Joseph Herman, right both top and bottom, of the MD ­Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas, meeting with China's Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo at the hostpital. The American and German specialists who visited Liu over the weekend said Sunday that cancer-stricken Liu is still able to travel abroad for treatment, apparently contradicting statements by Chinese experts who maintain that a medical evacuation would be unsafe. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

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Chinese hospital treating dissident orders staff to be ready to resuscitate him
