The prominent Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng, who triggered a diplomatic incident when he escaped house arrest and fled to the US embassy in Beijing last year, says he has been asked to leave New York University following "great, unrelenting pressure" from Chinese authorities.

The university, which has hosted the blind, self-taught lawyer on a fellowship since May last year, has denied the allegations, saying his tenure was intended to last only a year. The New York Post, which reported the allegations on Thursday, linked Chen's impending departure to NYU's efforts to open a campus in Shanghai.

Chen, 41, spent 18 months confined to his home in rural Shandong province by local authorities for his advocacy work against forced sterilisations and abortions. He escaped last spring and sought refuge in the US embassy in Beijing, triggering a high-profile diplomatic incident.

Chen has been told he has until the end of June to vacate the Greenwich Village apartment where he has been living with his family since he arrived in the US. The terms of his departure are still unclear.

On Sunday, Chen said in a statement that he was "grateful to NYU" for its help in transitioning to the US. But he also implied that the university terminated his fellowship under pressure from Chinese authorities, who "want to make me so busy trying to earn a living that I don't have time for human rights advocacy".