On Wednesday His holiness the Dalai lama was hosted by the president of the United States Barack Obama in the white house. The meeting happened behind closed door in the map room.
This is the fourth time that Obama has met with Dalai lama in the white house and as usual, china condemns the meeting and expressed its discontentment. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang warned the meeting could risk arousing the firm opposition from the 1.3 billion Chinese people. He further added “Under the cloak of religion, the 14th Dalai Lama peddles his political ambitions of dividing China all around the world. We ask all countries and governments not to give him any room to carry out such campaigns.”
Statement released by the white house reads “The President and the Dalai Lama discussed the situation for Tibetans in the People’s Republic of China, and the President emphasized his strong support for the preservation of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural, and linguistic traditions and the equal protection of human rights of Tibetans in China.”
China still considers His Holiness a dangerous separatist, and the spokesman said, the meeting would encourage “separatist forces.” He urged Washington to abide by its promises to recognize that Tibet as part of China and cease any support for Tibet’s independence.
The White House also said that the president “reiterated the longstanding U.S. position that Tibet is a part of the People’s Republic of China, and the United States does not support Tibetan independence.” The meeting, significantly, took place in the White House Map Room, not the Oval Office where the president meets with foreign heads of state.
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