"Chen Guangcheng has arrived at a medical facility in Beijing where he will receive medical treatment and be reunited with his family," said the official (US) who requested anonymity.  China's Foreign Ministry said it was extremely unhappy the embassy had taken Chen in.  "It must be pointed out that the United States Embassy took the Chinese citizen Chen Guangcheng into the embassy in an irregular manner, and China expresses its strong dissatisfaction over this," ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said in a statement carried by Xinhua.  "The U.S. method was interference in Chinese domestic affairs, and this is totally unacceptable to China. China demands that the United States apologise over this, thoroughly investigate this incident, punish those who are responsible, and give assurances that such incidents will not recur."  Chen's plight has overshadowed the Strategic and Economic Dialogue due to begin on Thursday. The United States hopes the talks will encourage greater Chinese cooperation on trade as well over Iran, Syria, North Korea and other international disputes.

There has been much emphasis on the claim by Chen that he was told by US officials his family would be taken back to his home province and harmed if he did not leave the embassy.  The Obama Administration has denied this story but the AP story, as reported by LifeNews, follows with an interesting comment.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement that no U.S. official spoke to Chen about physical or legal threats to his wife and children. Nor did the Chinese relay any such threats to American diplomats, she said. She did confirm that the Chinese intended to return his family to their home province of Shandong, where they had been detained illegally and beaten by local officials angry over Chen’s campaigns to expose forced abortions, and that they would lose any chance of being reunited.

It appears that Chen Guangchen recognizes there is a threat to his family's safety if he stays in China.  After all, China has clearly that the US has interfered in its internal affairs and the Obama administration appears a little too concerned with its current diplomatic efforts with China.  This is a civil rights story that has finally caught up with them and their unwillingness to take a strong stance reflects this neglect.  The story from Life News makes the point that Chen Guangcheng is scared and confused about what to do next.  Perhaps, he is concerned that the deal struck by the Obama Administration will not guarantee his safety.  The current US administration does not have the bargaining power or the will to enforce a stronger deal with the Chinese government.  The two parties share a similar worldview; one that fails to recognize the primary importance of parental freedom in rearing a family and the terrible harm done to a family caused by abortion and contraception.  One destroys the most precious relationship in human community, the bond between mother and child.  The other affects the unity of the parents who are drawn together in marriage by its procreative end.  Perhaps, due to the blindness caused by a shared control of the population agenda, the following list of offenses exposed by Chen and his team are not as horrifying to the administration as they should be.  As reported by Life News:

“A member of Chen’s team, human rights attorney Teng Biao, drafted this 2005 investigative report into coercive family planning in Linyi City, Shandong Province,” Littlejohn explained. “The report contains extensive witness statements from cases Chen and his team were investigating before Chen was jailed.”

The report lists detailed accounts regarding:

·      a woman forcibly aborted and sterilized at seven months;
·      villagers sleeping in fields to evade Family Planning Officials;
·      Family Planning Officials who broke three brooms over the head of an elderly man;
·      Family Planning Officials who forced a grandmother and her brother to beat each other; and
·      The use of quota systems and the practice of “implication” – the detention, fining and torture of the extended family of One Child Policy “violators.”

UPDATE:

Now Chen no longer has the protection of the Embassy.  The US embassy is no longer allowed to see him.  Here's the scoop from LifeNews:

Congressman Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican, told Chen, “You have a panel of people who have testified on your behalf who are all here on behalf of your family, your nephew.” Smith added, “Word is getting out, and your case is the test of Chinese commitment to protect you — which they were very dubious about those assurances. It is also a test of the United States about whether human rights really matter. You and your family and supporters should be on a plane to the United States. “Chen we are all praying for you and we will be unceasing in our efforts to secure your freedom,” Smith said. “This phone call absolutely underscores why we’re here.” During the meeting, members of Congress were told that Obama officials didn’t see Chen in the hospital the first night because a staffer told them visiting hours were over. Smith says visiting hours are now permanently over because US Embassy officials now are not allowed to see him. The C-Span website has the entire hearing online at: http://www.c-span.org/Events/Congressional-Executive-Commission-Examines-Chen-Guangcheng-Case/10737430405-1/

Update: There is a new deal but Chen's extended family and supporters remain in grave danger.  Chen's Family and The New deal With China