A Trial of Strength by Chen

Behind the initial slip-up of American diplomacy, the course of events suggests the renewal of the case of the Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng. The decision that permitted him to solicit an American student visa seems to lend weight to the idea of a political commitment that would permit the blind activist to abandon China and settle down with his family in New York. But, at the moment, Chen is under house arrest and yesterday put the Beijing government into a predicament by clarifying that his situation should not be their decision, but the decision of the provincial authorities of Shandong, where he lives.

The crisis is not over. Chen’s care, coming immediately after the purge of the communist elite Bo Xilai is the worst diplomatic incident between China and the U.S. If Beijing were to finally adopt reprisals against Chen and his relatives and friends that helped him during his dramatic final flight from long house arrest, it would not only commit a new and disdainful gesture towards human rights, it would also humiliate President Barack Obama and deal a harsh blow to his credibility in an election year. In the last decade, the complicated relationship between the two superpowers has rarely depended so much on the luck of just one man. His steadfast and unequal fight against the Chinese communist Leviathan has been converted into a symbol.

Beyond its immediate outcome, the case touches the heart of the authoritarian and arbitrary communist regime. Chinese leaders, who return to power for another generation this year, preach the end of corruption, the rule of law and the necessity to channel citizens’ demands. But the reality refutes their sermon. The definitive dilemma of this unpunished single party resides in what law is needed to govern 1.3 billion people, but for the party to submit to the law implies losing its absolute power and privileges.