White House mum on missing Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng

Blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng is seen in a still from a video posted to YouTube Friday by overseas Chinese news site Boxun.com / AP Photo/Boxun.com

(CBS/AP) WASHINGTON - A top White House aide on Sunday said President Barack Obama wants to strike an "appropriate balance" between advancing human rights and maintaining U.S. relations with China, the first public comments by the administration on its potential involvement in harboring a Chinese activist on the eve of diplomatic talks between the two world powers.

John Brennan, Obama's counterterrorism adviser, declined to provide details on the incident or say whether the activist, Chen Guangcheng, might be hiding in the U.S. embassy in Beijing as reported.

Chen, who has exposed forced abortions and sterilizations in villages as a result of China's one-child policy, escaped house arrest a week ago in Shandong province in eastern China. Chinese-based activists say he was driven away by supporters and then handed over to others who brought him to Beijing.

"I think in all instances the president tries to balance our commitment to human rights, making sure that the people throughout the world have the ability to express themselves freely and openly, but also that we can continue to carry out our relationships with key countries overseas," Brennan told "Fox News Sunday."

The U.S. relationship with China is "very important," he added, "so we're going to make sure that we do this in the appropriate way and the appropriate balance is struck."

Chen's escape comes at a politically sensitive time for the U.S. This week, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner head to Beijing for long-planned strategic and economic talks. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell began a hurried mission to Beijing on Sunday to smooth the way for the annual talks involving Clinton and Geithner.

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The U.S. has been looking to China for help on trying to curb the suspected nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran, and to push Syria toward a cease-fire with anti-government protesters. Bilateral disputes over trade, China's currency and U.S. relations with Taiwan also were expected to surface during the talks.

While the White House has remained mostly mum on the incident — and how much it might factor into the upcoming discussions in Beijing — Brennan suggested that the diplomatic dance with China isn't new.

"I think it would be fair to say the president has faced similar situations in the past in terms of this balancing requirement and so I'm confident that the president and others within the U.S. government will be able to find the right way forward," Brennan said.

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney expressed his concern Sunday for the safety of Chen and his family, urging U.S. government officials to offer the dissident and his family protection.

"My hope is that U.S. officials will take every measure to ensure that Chen and his family members are protected from further persecution," Romney said early Sunday in a statement. "Our country must play a strong role in urging reform in China and supporting those fighting for the freedoms we enjoy."

Romney said the incident involving Chen points toward the broader issues of human rights in China.

"Any serious U.S. policy toward China," said Romney, "must confront the facts of the Chinese government's denial of political liberties, its one-child policy and other violations of human rights."

While Chen escaped a week ago from Dongshigu village and made it 370 miles northwest to Beijing, his wife and 6-year-old daughter were left behind. The whereabouts of several other relatives, including Chen's mother and brother, are unknown.

"In the subsequent days we have seen a number of the people who helped him escape, be detained by the authorities and everyone is quite concerned about their whereabouts and their well-being as well as Chen's family members who are still in Shandong, and who along with him over the last several years have been subject (to) some fairly grotesque abuses," Sophie Richardson, Human Rights Watch's China Director, told CBS News.

Seven lawyers have volunteered to defend Chen's nephew, Chen Kegui, who allegedly confronted and stabbed local officials who stormed his house in the middle of the night on Thursday in apparent retribution for the activist's escape.

[halseyjr61]

I am pleased that Mr. Chen Guangchen has escaped the Chinese government's punishment for Mr. Chen's free speech about the abuses the Chinese government applies to its citizens who criticize their government. I have read of this after researching into the concentration camps in North Korea which are horrific and certify as crimes against humanity. These camps are occupied by people who parallel Chen's 'crime' but North Korea is much more brutal to its citizens who dare to even speak against their government. More than 100,000 people are subject to unimaginable squalor, malnutrition, overwork, disease etc. I watched a video by the 'Frontline Club' who interviewed one of only three North Koreans who escaped from one of these camps (Camp 14).
I cannot believe the brutality the North Korean Government subjects its citizens who even think of deviating from the brainwashing the North Korean government subjects its citizens to. China does the same on a lessor scale. These crimes against humanity must come to an end.
Americans can pressure China to stop these actions against its citizens but more importantly press China to convince North Korea to stop its despicable acts sending citizens and family who even utter a comment against the North Korean Government. I urge all Americans to research into these camps North Korea runs. China is the only country who supports North Korea. If Americans were to boycott Chinese made products for a week China will get the message that this behavior cannot be tolerated. We cannot win a war against China but China relies heavily on US demand for its goods. A coordinated effort to boycott Chinese goods will get their attention and maybe the crimes against their citizens be it in China or more importantly, North Korea will hopefully come to an end.

[skiplee3]

Very few of us on the outside really know what is happening in this situation but from what little is know I have to ask these questions....#1 He abandoned his wife and his daughter to run away ...he was under house arrest if China wanted him dead he would have been killed along time ago....me personally if I wanted to bring attention to a cause I would never abandon my daughter and wife for ANY circumstance, I would die beside them, he wasn't being threatened he just didn't like the cage China had him in...NO there is NOTHING that I have read that this activist has stood for that justifies abandoning his family...in my opinion he is an activist with a flair for the dramatic...yes these are serious issues he has stated he stands for but in no circumstance does it justify abandoning your family period....find another way....he was and had the attention of the world community...I had seen his story many times so his message was getting out but obviously not fast enough to his liking.... #2 the reason for his protesting is serious "forced abortions and sterilization"...I commend him for his protest and it was working but do we the USA even though we disagree with these practices plunge our two nations into deeper cold war situations because we don't agree with the internal laws of China....we can state we don't agree and if you come to America you will be treated different....What China is doing to curb its population is very severe but in a few short years China will not be able to support is population...is their methods wrong....yep...if you have other recommendations lets hear them........lets get real here...what do they do? You want something to change you don't ***** about it you use your mind and find a solution and have a good alternative to the problem...I never have heard a real alternate idea to the one child law in this nation. They are in trouble and don't know how to stop the self destruction.....what will happen here is they will become so over populated causing mass suffering creating such desperation that China will have no choice but to strike out at other nations just to survive...this is reality....#3 There has to be a place where we start drawing the line of self destruction ourselves....self destructing relationships with other nations....My God I have talked directly with Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan where our policies were suppose to change their lives for the better and its a 100 times worse ...we have created a mess in these countries that democracy cant fix...and who is suffering...the children, the woman....were they suffering before ...yes they were ....are they suffering more now....much more now they say...they wish they had the old ways back at least there was some kind of structure...now there is none....what about this....we demanded the Palestinians to use the democratic ways to elect a government....so they said ok and they did....and almost by 100% of the population elected officials that hate Israel and America....democracy doesn't work in all cultures...ooops did I say that....who in their right mind would say such things....not many but I tell you there are many in Washington know I speak the truth....look at Saudi Arabia richest country in the world...NO democracy...and they have been running a country for years and they are starting to open up with more rights for woman...is it perfect...no far from it...but its no Iraq...and its people are well cared for....far better than most countries in the world..
we can influence other countries and their cultures but do it in a non destructive way...and if they disagree...as long as it doesn't come outside their borders we must wait for the people to change inside out....Now I am not using a broad brush for everything...if a country is committing genocide to its people then heh lets go stop the bastards but if its I like the color blue and they like the color pink I'm not going into a war over it....their people will see our living example and if they want it they can bring it about from the inside out..yes this is a very hard pill to swallow especially for the leftist and liberals but we as a country must stop playing God and let God deal with them if they won't change.....we must learn to start trusting Time to bring about good change when needed not our bullets....ok I have my rock proof vest on....start your throwing your rocks