Blind activist who fled China visits Taiwan Chen Guangcheng, the activist lawyer who fled China for the US last year, called the success of democracy in Taiwan an important lesson for China, in his first speech during a trip to Taipei which aims to draw regional attention to human rights in China. The blind dissident will address Taiwan's parliament on Tuesday to argue that human rights should play a role in the growing dialogue between Taiwan and China, two historic adversaries that have recently begun co-operating to promote bilateral trade and investment. "The success of the institution [of democracy] in Taiwan proves China authorities" argument - which says the common values of democracy are not applicable to Chinese [culture] - is a lie," said Mr Chen. The spread of the human rights movement in China makes the Chinese authority restless with anxiety. This is going to speed up in the coming future," he added. Democratisation of China is an inevitable result. His visit follows growing controversy over his relationship with New York University, which is not planning to renew the one year fellowship it awarded Mr Chen as he was leaving China last year. He had escaped from house arrest, after clashing with Chinese officials over his work opposing forced abortions used by China to enforce its one-child policy. Mr Chen has said that NYU cut off his fellowship after pressure from the Chinese government. The university has said its funding was never intended to last more than one year. He said pressure from China showed that his activism "made the right hit, and it hurts very much. Or their wouldn't react in such a tough way . . . However, if they are trying to shut me up through this kind of action, it's impossible.. In Taiwan Mr Chen also faces a nation some - including, he said, himself - fear is increasingly susceptible to pressure from the mainland. His arrival in Taiwan comes a few days after Taipei signed the latest in a series of trade pacts with Beijing, Taiwan's biggest trading partner. The lawyer will not be meeting Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou or the speaker of the legislature, which he said he could "understand" in light of the relationship between Taiwan and China Yet, pointed out Jerome Cohen, a law professor who has helped Mr Chen, the goal of the visit to Taiwan - his first ever - was to meet local residents and activists. Mr Chen is on the island at the invitation of a local NGO which focuses on human rights in China. Mr Cohen also said that although a meeting with the president was not scheduled, the Taiwanese authorities had allowed him into the country. In 2009, the same government refused entry to Uyghur activist Rebiya Kadeer. "He got a visa from Taiwan to come here, and that's very important," said Mr Cohen. Additional reporting by Jason Liu