AMBASSADOR GARY LOCKE Interview With Karson Yiu of ABC News So Ambassador, ABC News was able to talk to Chen Guangcheng earlier this morning. And he told us that U.S. officials were blocked from being able to see him.
what you really want to do? Do you want to leave the Embassy?” And he said, “Yes.”
QUESTION: Did he clearly know the implications of leaving the Embassy?
AMBASSADOR LOCKE: He knew, because we also said that it’s – life is going to be difficult; it’s not going to be a bed of roses. I mean, he was fully aware of that and knew that it was going to be very, very challenging. He also knew what life would be like if he were still in the Embassy and his family was still in the village.
QUESTION: But given what’s happened to him in the past, and even his supporters are being silenced right now, how certain were you of his safety once you left the Embassy? Or has – is the U.S. is now – is the U.S. now responsible for his safety?
AMBASSADOR LOCKE: Well, we’ve very, very supportive of him, and we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that he is safe and secure. But his wife and he have been able to make contact with the media, with you, all their friends, and talking with lawyers, his lawyer and others. So again, his wife was able to come out of the Embassy on her own free will to talk with us.
QUESTION: Is asylum still on the table?
AMBASSADOR LOCKE: Again, he has never asked for asylum. He never asked for asylum at any point while he was at the Embassy. And even in his video that he released, he said he wanted to be a freedom fighter in China. And even the activist friends that he contacted before he came to the Embassy reaffirmed and made all these statements that he does not want to come to the United States.
But the thing is it’s apparent that he’s had some change of heart. We’ve got to deal with that, and so we want to sit down with him and his family together, his wife together. Let’s find out exactly what they’re thinking and let’s explore the options.
QUESTION: It seems like he wants asylum now.
AMBASSADOR LOCKE: Well, we’re going to have to sit down and explore those options with him.
