The Clay Feet of China America

In the space of just a few weeks, two American diplomatic headquarters in China have opened their doors to two Chinese citizens who looked for protection, temporarily hosted them and later returned them to the street. The first case of the Chongqing police chief, Wang Lijun, had triggered an authentic political earthquake of incalculable consequences right in the epicenter of the succession process of leadership, with the fall of Bo Xilai and the general discredit that led to the revelation of crimes and corruption. The current case of the blind lawyer, Chen Guangcheng, a grass-roots activist defending civil rights against abuse by local authorities in a rural region of Shangdong, reveals the extent to which a particular decision regarding a precarious and damaging subject can put Chinese-American relations on the spot. The escape has occurred within a context that is critical for everyone concerned. This is a confusing, ambiguous development, in that the American authorities seem to move between cynicism and ingenuity.

Lawyer Chen’s escape reveals the extent to which the economic and geo-strategic agenda that underpins Chinese-American relations goes unnoticed in the face of controversial issues such as human rights. Members of the United States government, Hillary Clinton and Timothy Geithner, went to Beijing to talk to their Chinese counterparts about major issues such as the North Korean nuclear threat and the strategic economic dialogue. But upon arriving they found an unexpected guest in their own embassy: a humble, blind lawyer with a leg fractured from trying to escape from the house where he had been held for two years without any charges. Lawyer Chen’s case has caused internal repercussions (possibly representing the excuse needed by Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao to transfer power to Bo Xilai’s main supporter in the Politburo, the security officer Zhou Yangkang) but it also has obvious international repercussions. That is to say, it reveals what American and European authorities tend to ignore or, at best, resolve with big empty words: In China, management of “social stability” carries the high price of violation of rights and freedom.

The fact that more than 30 Tibetan monks have been martyred in recent months can easily be separated from the official agenda. But lawyer Chen has put himself in the center spotlight at the peak of the summit. For both the Chinese authorities (who talk a lot lately about political reforms) and the Obama administration (which has elections just around the corner), an excellent opportunity is presented in which to begin resolving issues in a different way. It all began in Tunisia with the immolation of a street vendor; sometimes small gestures have repercussions that are hard to predict. If something should happen to lawyer Chen, many will have much to lose.

Manel Ollé is the coordinator of Chinese Studies masters program at Pompeu Fabra University.