THE DEAL under which Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng left the US Embassy in Beijing on Wednesday was bold, risky and potentially groundbreaking for human rights in China. It could also prove disastrous. By late Wednesday, Mr. Chen, who was then in a Beijing hospital, was telling Western news organizations that his decision had been forced by threats to his family and that he wished to exit China for the United States. That may or may not reopen a six-day crisis over his status. What's clear is that the Obama administration now bears moral responsibility for Mr. Chen's freedom and welfare. The blind, 40-year-old activist aspired to be — and could still become — a model for Chinese who seek to promote the rule of law and respect for human rights. US officials sound credible when they insist that Mr. Chen never asked for asylum and was never told that the lives of his family would be in danger if he did not leave the embassy. They were to meet with him again, and they may learn whether he has changed his mind about leaving the country. If he remains, the test of US mettle will come in the next weeks and months. If Mr. Chen is allowed to live freely, the Obama administration can claim credit for a human rights breakthrough. If not, the United States must defend him and his family — and not allow business as usual in US-Chinese relations. — Excerpts from The Washington Post editorial __
