Clinton faces personal test in blind dissident Chen Guangcheng firestorm

China and the U.S. are close to working out a face-saving deal that would allow Chen Guangcheng to leave China with his wife and children, a U.S.-based rights campaigner has told The Daily Telegraph.

News of the potential deal came as U.S. diplomats scrambled to resolve a crisis precipitated after the blind human rights activist escaped from house arrest and reportedly sought U.S. diplomatic protection.

Bob Fu, of the Texas-based group ChinaAid, which has been in contact with Mr Chen's Chinese supporters, said a deal was possible in the next 24 to 48 hours.

It is hoped that the deal can be concluded before Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, arrives in Beijing for high-level U.S.-China strategic and economic dialogue, which begins on Thursday.

"The Chinese top leaders are deliberating a faster solution and the decision could come soon," Mr Fu said. "It could mean today, tomorrow or after the dialogue but I certainly sense that both sides want to have a solution soon."

Mr Fu said granting Mr Chen permission to travel to the U.S. for medical treatment with his family was emerging as the most elegant and obvious way to avoid an impasse from poisoning U.S.-China relations at a critical moment.

Mr Chen, who had initially indicated he wanted to remain in China, accepted that this outcome was unrealistic now, given the high-profile nature of his case.

"If Chen wants to find safety and freedom for his family, leaving China might be the only option left. The situation is so intense, he has no other choice but to leave now," said Mr Fu, a former teacher at the Communist Party School, which fights for Christian rights in China.

"The U.S. cannot afford to take Chen and ask him to leave his family behind - and Mr Chen won't leave without his wife and children. The Chinese have to make a decision to put the package together. Logistically they have to work this out, but the Chinese government can handle it."

The U.S. State Department has refused to comm! ent on t he Chen case, and will not confirm or deny whether Mr Chen, whose case has been publicly raised by Mrs Clinton in the past, is in its custody.

On Monday, the European Union called on China not to harass Mr Chen's family and associates after reports that several fellow activists, including those who aided his escape, have been taken into custody. His nephew Chen Kegui is said to be on the run from the authorities.

Mr Chen, a self-taught lawyer who was imprisoned after he revealed that forced sterilisations were being carried out under China's one-child policy, escaped from his home in Shandong province on April 22, after almost 20 months under house arrest, during which time he claimed that he was badly beaten.

He reportedly sought U.S. protection last Thursday afternoon, after releasing a video on YouTube challenging the country's prime minister, Wen Jiabao, to investigate his brutal treatment at the hands of the local authorities in Shandong.

Copyright (c) The Daily Telegraph