"Very busy lately, huh?" Lao Liu greets me one morning on my way to work. "What's going on with this Chen Guangcheng guy?" My friend, who works for a multinational company, had heard chatter about Chen and wanted to find out more. I was in a rush so I told him quickly about Chen, the blind activist from a rural town in Shandong who has been mistreated for years by local officials, and how he had slipped into the U.S. embassy in Beijing creating a diplomatic spat with China. Lao Liu is not alone. Many ordinary Chinese have been in the dark about Chen's dramatic escape.
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Many ordinary Chinese have been in the dark about Chen Guangcheng's dramatic escape
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The blind activist had escaped house arrest and sought refuge in the U.S. embassy in Beijing
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Xinhua: China seeking U.S. apology for giving refuge to a Chinese citizen "via abnormal means"
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Analysts say both sides may seek a compromise solution that could lead to Chen leaving for the U.S.
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They have also ordered the Chinese media to stay away from Chen's story and have selectively blacked out international reports about @placeholder from networks such as CNN.
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"@placeholder's internal affairs should be solved by Chinese ourselves, no need to have Americans worry about these," said Yutou0001.
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"China's internal affairs should be solved by @placeholder ourselves, no need to have Americans worry about these," said Yutou0001.
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"China's internal affairs should be solved by Chinese ourselves, no need to have @placeholder worry about these," said Yutou0001.
Chen Guangcheng
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Chen Guangcheng
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"Yet the fact that @placeholder is now contradicting U.S. officials -- such that, red-faced, they are having to justify their actions in releasing him -- works to reduce China's embarrassment."
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@placeholder officials, they say, will continue to criticize "Chinese human rights" as judged by American values, and their Chinese counterparts will continue to condemn "American interference in China's internal affairs," as judged by China's sense of sovereignty.