Liu Xia, the ailing widow of Chinese peace advocate and Nobel laureate, Liu Xiaobo, has finally arrived in Berlin on Tuesday after almost a decade of being held under house arrest in Beijing.
According to the Guardian, the renowned visual artist has arrived at Tegel airport in Berlin around 4:49 pm, local time, aboard a Finnair flight.
It was reported earlier that Liu Xia has flown first to Helsinki, Finland after leaving Beijing, and was then en route to the German capital.
Her arrival in Europe was the result from years of incessant campaigning by human rights activists all over the world. Moreover, petition from western governments, headed by Germany's Angela Merkel, further influenced Beijing to finally release Liu Xia.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry clarified that Liu, 57, was granted permission to fly to Germany for medical reasons.
The good news, which was shared by Liu Xia's family, friends and supporters, arrived just in time for the upcoming one-year anniversary of her husband's death.
Liu Xiaobo was given the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the first Chinese citizen to receive one while still in China. He died on July of last year due to liver cancer.
Meanwhile, worldwide speculations surrounding the poet's release indicated Beijing's efforts to further strengthen trading relations with Europe. This is amidst the recent US trade protectionist initiative that seriously affected the global market atmosphere.
As pointed over at South China Morning Post, the decision came hours after Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's meeting with the German Chancellor in Berlin. Keqiang reportedly flew homeward bound carrying with him a $23 billion-worth of trade deals with Germany.
Political analysts consider the exchange as a gesture, "a kind of offer" by China to further establish its partnership with the European giant.
