The worst possible outcome here would be [that] the Chinese neither are prepared to guarantee the safety of Chen Guangcheng and his family in China, nor are willing to let us get him to the airport and get him out of China, [in] which case, we've got a long-term resident in U.S. facilities, and we have a long-term major irritant in our bilateral relationship.
April 30, 2012, Kenneth G. Lieberthal,
National Public Radio