Chinese activist tells Clinton: ‘I want to kiss you’

BEIJING, China – Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng told visiting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “I want to kiss you” after the United States arranged a deal for his safety on Wednesday, a US official said.

Chen left the US embassy in the Chinese capital on Wednesday, May 2, to seek medical care and join his family, US officials said, more than a week after his daring escape from house arrest and flight into US protective custody.

Clinton, who arrived Wednesday for long-planned talks with China, spoke to Chen by telephone soon after he left the embassy for a hospital, a senior US official said on condition of anonymity.

“After saying in Chinese how grateful he was that she had mentioned him in the past and supported his case, he said in broken English, ‘I want to kiss you’,” the official told reporters.

Chen also told Clinton through an interpreter that he was happy to be reunited with his family but made clear he was “prepared for the struggle ahead,” the official said. – Agence France-Presse