Dissident Asks Congress for Clinton Meet Blind human rights activist Chen Guangcheng told Congress today that he wants to meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton face-to-face and he requested to have his "freedom of travel guaranteed" as he looks to leave China with his family and come to the United States. "I want to meet with the Secretary Clinton," Chen, 40, said over speakerphone as a translator conveyed his words in English. The blind Chinese activist, who generated international headlines after he took refuge in the U.S. embassy in Beijing ahead of Clinton's attendance at a summit in China this week, phoned into a congressional hearing today to report to Congress the latest details of his predicament. After a U.S.-brokered deal that allowed him to stay in China, Chen reportedly has begged to depart Beijing on Clinton's plane. White House press secretary Jay Carney today defended the Obama administration's diplomacy, insisting U.S. officials did not pressure Chen to stay in China when the deal was struck. "At no point during his time in the embassy did Mr. Chen ever request political asylum in the U.S., and at every opportunity he expressed his desire to stay in China, be unified with his family, continue his education and work for reform in his country," Carney told reporters today. All of our diplomacy was directed at putting him in the best possible position to achieve his objectives. "We are in conversations now -- not we, the State Department folks in Beijing -- and I simply can't give you a moment-by-moment update on that," Carney said. Chen Guangcheng's 'Mission Impossible' Escape As controversy swirled in Washington and Beijing, U.S. officials today described Chen's dramatic journey to the U.S. embassy last week as a "mission impossible" operation. U.S. officials said a rendezvous point was agreed upon several miles from the embassy. Chen was driven by a supporter in one car to meet a second, driven by the Americans. But en route to the location, the Americans realized they were possibly being followed. In a rush, the two cars met in an alley. Chen was hastily pushed out of his vehicle and pulled in by the Americans before speeding back to the embassy. US Defends Chen Guangcheng Deal The satisfaction of his arrival soon gave way to anxious negotiations over his future. As Chen continues to ask to leave China, U.S. officials are defending the agreement they reached with Chen and the Chinese government. U.S. officials believed they had reached a diplomatic resolution after they escorted Chen to a Beijing hospital where he was reunited with his family. The United States, China and Chen had agreed he would be allowed to remain in China with his family to pursue a course of study at a Chinese university in Tianjin, about 70 miles southeast of Beijing. U.S. officials said they were guaranteed the ability to monitor Chen's security and given assurances his supporters would not be prosecuted for helping him. Chen was to receive medical treatment for chronic ill health and injuries sustained during his escape. Along with his family, he now wants "to leave for the U.S. on Hillary Clinton's plane." He said the Chinese government "threatened me that if I don't leave the embassy, they will bring my family back to Shandong." U.S. officials in Washington and Beijing confirmed that the Chinese conveyed the message that they would not allow his family to remain in Beijing if Chen did not leave. "He was never pressured to leave," U.S. Ambassador Gary Locke said today in Beijing, adding that Chen was asked at one point whether he wanted asylum and he declined. Chen Guangcheng Tells Congress He 'Fears for My Other Family Members' Lives' But now, Chen, calling members of Congress from his hospital room in Beijing, said he "really fears for my other family members' lives" and suspected that all of the villagers who helped him escape house arrest and get to the embassy "are also receiving retribution." Concluding the call, Chen said he wanted "to thank all of you for your care and for your love." It was a great relief that I and millions around the world learned of his escape and his reaching safety at the American embassy in Beijing on Friday morning. Chen has, since leaving the American embassy in Beijing, expressed an earnest desire to gain asylum for himself and for his family. Asked if the president was concerned about Republican criticisms of the way his administration has handled the negotiations, Obama spokesman Carney told reporters, "I can assure you that the president is not concerned about political back-and-forth on this issue. "He is focused on the need to advance U.S. interests in our broad-based relationship with China, very important economic, diplomatic relationships with China," Carney said. It is absolutely in our national interest for us to pursue that kind of broad-based agenda with the Chinese. Chen Guangcheng's Change of Heart Since the U.S.-Chinese agreement on Chen, a picture has emerged of a vulnerable man who might have inadvertently compromised a deal several U.S. officials say was the best they could do, given the desire Chen expressed to stay in China. Several sources within both the dissident network of Chen's supporters and on the U.S. side said that Chen remained focused on remaining in his home country with his family where he believed he could continue to fight for his cause. Chen became best known for his 2005 campaign against the forced abortion and sterilization of rural women in China as part of the country's One Child Policy. He served four years in prison for disturbing public order and was then placed under what he has called a brutal house arrest including constant surveillance, isolation and abuse. In the final hours of negotiation last week, Chen had asked that his family be brought to Beijing as an act of good faith by the Chinese government. The Chinese put Chen's wife, Yuan Wiejing, and two small children on a high speed train to Beijing. When she arrived, the two were able to speak for the first time since his escape. As the clock ticked down, it was Yuan who urged him to leave. "[His] wife was pleading for Chen to come to the hospital," Locke said. Chen agreed, and photos released soon afterwards show a smiling team of U.S. officials surrounding an exuberant Chen. Whether the United States can or is willing to seek further negotiations is unclear. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman has demanded that the United States apologize for the incident for the good of relations. Clinton today addressed a conference in Beijing where she emphasized the importance of a partnership between the U.S. and China on global issues, but did not mention Chen by name. Chen remains at the hospital in Beijing with his family, begging to leave with Clinton, according to the Daily Beast. Online reports by his friend, Teng Biao, released by the State Department, say he has been in touch with U.S. officials. Speaking to ABC News this morning, Chen said, "If I can leave China, I will."