By Peter Simpson PUBLISHED: 16:51 EST, 21 May 2013 | UPDATED: 03:53 EST, 22 May 2013 A blind anti-abortion activist forced to flee China after suffering years of torture and persecution has accused the British government of running scared from Beijing. Chen Guangcheng is in the UK to receive an award for exposing the plight of hundreds of thousands of Chinese women forced to undergo abortions and sterilisations as part of China's strict one-child policy. But his request to meet with the Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague during his five-day visit has been snubbed because Downing Street fears 'further punishment' from Beijing and will lose out on trade deals.
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Chen Guangcheng is in UK to receive award for exposing 'gendercide'
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But request to meet with the Prime Minister has been snubbed
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Human rights campaigner says David Cameron is kowtowing to Beijing
'I call on the British people to lobby their government to take up this issue with Beijing and remain true to the values that make @placeholder a respected country throughout the world.