There is a tense international situation developing in China surrounding blind activist Chen Guangcheng. Chen, who served time in prison for exposing forced abortions and sterilizations being done to comply with China’s one-child policy, escaped from house arrest early this week and was being given refuge at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.
Here’s the first cartoon I drew on the subject:
Once the Chinese government found out about U.S. involvement, they demanded that the U.S. apologize for meddling in its affairs, and according to reports, threatened the safety of Chen’s family. According to Chen, U.S. officials promised that at least one representative would stay with him at the hospital where he was being treated for an injury he received while escaping. But once he was brought to the hospital room, they all left, and now have no access to the activist.
The New York Times reported the Obama administration was “exposed to criticism from Republicans and human rights groups that it had rushed to resolve a delicate human rights case so that it would not overshadow other matters on the bilateral agenda,” such as the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs and China’s currency and trade policies.
So here is my new cartoon on the incident:
Chen now says he wants to leave China as soon as possible. “My fervent hope is that it would be possible for me and my family to leave for the U.S. on Hillary Clinton’s plane,” he told The Daily Beast.
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