China, Chen Guangcheng is allowed to be free..

[finley]

He and his family have already been offered an academic position and visas to go to the US. Once again this hints at discord in China, surely there are people in the central government that should be able to deal with to save all the media attention and from turning him into a hero. Instead they are content for him to go the US.

Hm, interesting, just read about that. Although I'll believe it when he actually sets foot on US soil.

Certainly seems like China's political sophistication is improving though: "Here, you bignoses over there, we can't be arsed to keep this troublemaker locked up anymore, and he keeps bloody escaping anyway. Yeah, yeah, he's blind, we know. You just can't get the staff these days. Anyway, you look after him for us and you can pretend you're saving the world. Everybody wins, eh?"

[headhonchoII]

It's all about face isn't it. He can't escape but he can apply to be a foreign student. A country of 1.3 bullion people and this is how they handle things.
The timing was super awkward for both sides as H Clinton was due in town. Before anybody criticizes the US it was embassy people who protected him and he himself said he wanted to stay in China originally, no other country was doing anything for him.