Jerome A. Cohen pioneered the study of Chinese law in the United States. He met with Zhou Enlai, trained Chinese officials and helped American firms set up in China. Now, even at 90, he presses Beijing on its human rights record.
To call it a daring escape is an understatement. After four years in prison, Chen Guangcheng had spent another three years under house arrest with his family. The local government in Shandong province had covered his windows with metal sheeting, cut him off from all contact with the outside world, and sent guards to patrol his home around the clock.
Blind since infancy, Chen would have to not only evade the guards, but also somehow navigate his way through the village, undetected, to meet his get-away car. While drying laundry on their roof, his wife counted the steps he would need to take and the number of walls he’d have to climb along his route. The village was too quiet at night, so the escape would have to take place during the day.
On April 20, 2012, the blind, 40-year-old man embarked on his journey and, amazingly, a few days later he arrived at the U.S. embassy in Beijing, more than 300 miles away, having suffered nothing worse than a broken foot.
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As the Belt and Road Initiative gets ready to celebrate its 10th anniversary, Italy is looking for the off-ramp. Beijing's response, plus Italy's ability to negotiate a new deal for itself, will speak volumes about both China's standing in Europe and what the BRI, once seen as a colossus, has left to offer.
