WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders have united in welcoming dissident Chinese lawyer Chen Guangcheng, whose case sparked a diplomatic crisis between Washington and Beijing this spring.
Republican House Speaker John Boehner led Chen, who is blind, by the arm. Boehner told a news conference Wednesday the U.S. has the responsibility to hold China to account on human rights.
Boehner was flanked by minority Democrat leader Nancy Pelosi who commended his remarks.
Chen moved to New York in May after a dramatic escape from house arrest in his home province to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.
Chen called for Beijing to honor promises to investigate abuses he faced and guarantee his family's security.
He said that change in China is inevitable as increasing numbers of citizens shed their fears and assert their rights.
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