Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner arrive in China Wednesday morning. Ahead of their visit, American diplomats reportedly met with officials at the Chinese Foreign Ministry to quickly reach an agreement on what to do about Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng. Chen, who is blind, is said to be in American hands in Beijing after escaping house arrest last week. His escape came just ahead of two days of high-level talks scheduled to be held in Beijing this week. The diplomatic complications surrounding Chen’s daring escape are already threatening overshadow other topics. David Sanger, chief Washington correspondent for our partner The New York Times explains the strain Chen’s position is putting on U.S.-China relations.
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