Chinese activist's brother, mother get passports on the eve of Xi-Obama meet

BEIJING – Family members of a Chinese activist who fled house arrest and later moved to the U.S. say they have been granted passports so they now may travel outside China, just ahead of a summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Barack Obama.

Chen Guangfu, the oldest brother of blind activist Chen Guangcheng, says the passports for him and the brothers' mother, Wang Jinxiang, were delivered Friday and that they are planning to seek visas and visit Chen Guangcheng.

The older brother said local police had denied their earlier passport applications.

Chen Guangcheng sparked a diplomatic crisis when he escaped house arrest in his rural town in April 2012 and sought refuge in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Chinese officials later let him go to the U.S.