Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is headed to Beijing, scene of a tense human rights showdown as activists say talks are continuing between China and the U.S. over the fate of a blind Chinese lawyer who escaped house arrest.
U.S. officials are said to be protecting Chen Guangcheng, a lawyer who exposed forced abortions and sterilizations as part of China's one-child policy.
Efforts to strike a deal for Chen's future did not materialize before Clinton left the United States. His fate has threatened to overshadow the high-level strategic and economic talks between the world's two biggest economic powers.
Neither country is saying much publicly about the case. Clinton arrives in Beijing early Wednesday.
Human rights showdown awaits Clinton in Beijing
