Chen Guangcheng says family victim of 'frenzied' retaliation in China The account of his nephew's plight prefaced a wide-ranging discussion on the future of China and whether democracy can ever flower in a state with such a long and troubled history of authoritarianism. From behind his trademark sunglasses and wearing a smart suit and tie, Mr Chen said that China should follow the example of other Confucian states that had developed eastern-style democracies, like Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Peppering his remarks with Chinese aphorisms, he spoke movingly of his hopes for his homeland (where he hopes to return) and his faith in the ability of the Chinese people to effect change. "Nobody can stop the progress of history," he said, predicting that democracy would come to China in his own lifetime, driven in part by the transformational power of the internet. The central government is going to be forced to move forward. And while China's central government deserved credit for its "unprecedented" decision to allow him to come to the US, Mr Chen urged international democracies to keep pressure on China over human rights. "China is in a state of historic transition and at this time, international concern is very important, but in the end the development of civil society in China, is going to depend on the Chinese people," he said. Many people want to move the mountain in one week. That's not realistic, we have to move the mountain bit by bit, and start with ourselves. If everybody would do that, then maybe the effect would be very good, but you can't expect it to happen overnight. Speaking personally, Mr Chen said he planned to use his time in America for many things - learning English, studying comparative law and US law on disabled rights - but first he wanted time to rest and catch up on what he had missed while in prison. For the last seven years I haven't had a weekend. So both for my body and my mental health, I need some rest. Also, for the last seven years I've been isolated from the rest of the world, and I need to replenish my knowledge about developments in the world.