Chinese hospital: Liu Xiaobo in critical condition

The First Hospital of China Medical University on Monday said Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo is in critical condition and doctors are responding in “active rescue mode.” Liu, who was diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer on May 23, is now also battling with low blood pressure, poor kidney function, and a severely swollen stomach, the hospital said in a statement. An MRI scan showed he also has growing cancer lesions, which have caused bleeding in his liver. Two Western doctors—Joseph Herman from the University of Texas’ cancer center and Markus Buschler from Germany’s University of Heidelberg surgery department—visited Liu on Saturday and concluded in a joint statement he can travel abroad to continue his cancer treatment. The doctors said Liu can be transported safely with the appropriate medical evacuation care and support. But Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang declined Monday to say whether China would allow Liu to travel abroad. Shuang asked other countries to “respect China’s national sovereignty and refrain from interfering in China’s domestic affairs due to an individual case.”