BEIJING (Agencies): US-based blind Chinese activist, Chen Guangcheng, has urged the new leader of China's Communist Party to institute reforms and uphold human rights. In a video posted online, Mr Chen said that Xi Jinping could "carry out reform" or maintain the Party's power. The appeal comes after a Chinese court sentenced Mr Chen's nephew to three years in jail for assaulting officials. Mr Chen escaped house arrest earlier this year and then took refuge at the US embassy in Beijing. His escape caused a diplomatic crisis and was defused after weeks of uncertainty when Mr Chen was allowed to travel to the US for studies. After he fled, his relatives' homes were raided and his nephew, Chen Kegui, was detained by police after a scuffle. The nine-minute video was released on Sunday by US-based non-profit organisation ChinaAid to mark World Human Rights Day. In the video, Mr Chen said that officials "have enacted revenge" on his nephew and others because he fled the country, and that those who ordered his nephew's arrest have been promoted.