Clinton Heads to China

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left for China on Monday, where a blind dissident is reportedly being protected at the U.S. embassy in Beijing. Both governments avoided making any official comments about Chen Guangcheng, who escaped from house arrest last week, but officials said that Chen is expected to demand to stay in China and continue his campaign for reform. President Obama on Monday pressured China to improve its human-rights record, but he did not comment specifically on Chen’s escape. Meanwhile, Chen’s supporters said that Chinese police admitted that Chen broke no laws in his escape, and his only offense seems to be embarrassing his captors.