Obama Ignores China, Meets with Dalai Lama

The protests and calls to action from China for Obama not to receive the Dalai Lama were useless. The United States president ignored Beijing and met with the exiled spiritual leader at the White House for half an hour, although in a discrete way.

Congress, which received the leader on July 7, had criticized the fact that the president hadn’t had a meeting with the Tibetan monk. The Dalai Lama stayed in Washington for 11 days, where apart from celebrating his 76th birthday, he attended a series of rites and conferences.

“The president reiterated his strong support for the preservation of the unique religious, cultural and linguistic traditions of Tibet and the Tibetan people throughout the world. He underscored the importance of the protection of human rights of Tibetans in China,” said the White House.

It wasn’t long before China’s reaction. Beijing has filed a formal complaint that asks Washington to “to honor its serious commitment that recognizes Tibet as part of China and opposes Tibetan independence.”