WASHINGTON - In a sign of the times, Mr Chen Guangcheng, the controversial Chinese activist who escaped China in 2012 with the help of American diplomats, spoke at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday (Aug 26) night, on a day when US-China relations slid yet another notch in what has been a dramatic deterioration.

"The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is an enemy of humanity… threatening the well-being of the world," said the visually impaired activist, reading off a Braille pad.