Chinese Activist Visits Central Park

Chen Guangcheng renewed his call to fight injustice as he embraced his new surroundings at NYU

A day after leaving China, a blind legal activist headed for New York City's backyard -- Central Park.     

Chen Guangcheng spent a sunny Sunday sitting in a wheelchair as shrieking children went running by.     

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, tells AP Television News that Chen is a "courageous man.''     

"He's very gentle and very tough at the same time,'' Smith says. "His cause, which is defending women from the crime of forced abortion, has not had enough focus in the world community.''     

New York University law professor Jerome Cohen says Chen, who is to study law at NYU, is in "admirable shape.''     

Chen escaped house arrest in China and was given sanctuary inside the U.S. Embassy, setting off a diplomatic skirmish that ended with his leaving China.

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