U.S. reaches agreement on Chen

U.S. reaches agreement on Chen
5/3/12 9:33 PM EDT Updated: 5/4/12 9:06 AM -- Politico


Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng may make it out of China soon as it turns out.

The U.S. and China have been in a diplomatic stalemate for several days already.

It looks like the man can become eligible for a student visa.

His family can join him while out of country.

Obama may be off the hook this time.

The Chinese foreign ministry and State Department have reached an agreement to get Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng out of the country, a sudden resolution Friday for the Chinese dissident whose case had created a diplomatic stand-off for the two countries.

Circumventing a showdown with the U.S. over giving Chen asylum, the Chinese foreign ministry released a statement on its website saying, “If he wants to study abroad, he can apply through normal channels to the relevant departments, according to the law, just like any other Chinese citizen.” Shortly after, the State Department announced a fellowship at a U.S. university that would allow Chen, his wife and two children to quickly leave China.

“The Chinese Government has indicated that it will accept Mr. Chen’s applications for appropriate travel documents. The United States Government expects that the Chinese Government will expeditiously process his applications for these documents and make accommodations for his current medical condition. The United States Government would then give visa requests for him and his immediate family priority attention,” State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said in a statement.

The Chen case had caused a major problem diplomatically for the U.S. and China, and created mounting political pressure at home for President Barack Obama.

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"Hillary Clinton, this is the time to deliver," Fu told a hearing of the Congressional Executive Commission on China on Thursday.

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Hillary and Timmy have been busy with some other business too !

(CNSNews.com) - China has agreed to join the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, after touring a cookstove exhibit with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Beijing on Thursday.

It's one of several new U.S.-China "eco-partnerships" announced during Clinton's visit, which has been overshadowed by human rights concerns involving blind dissident Chen Guangcheng.

Clinton launched the Global Alliance, a public-private partnership, two years ago. The stated goal is to save lives, improve livelihoods, empower women and combat climate change by bringing "clean and efficient cooking solutions" to families around the world. The total U.S. commitment to the cookstove project so far is $105 million.

China's participation will help the Global Alliance meet its goal of having 100 million homes adopt clean and efficient stoves and fuels by 2020.

In China, an estimated 80 percent of households rely on solid fuels such as wood or dung to burn the fires that heat their food. The World Health Organization estimates that burning those solid fuels accounts for more than 540,000 premature deaths in China each year and various chronic and acute illnesses.

Clean Cookstoves Top Hillary Clinton's Agenda in China on Thursday