Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Obama to meet Dalai Lama at White House, defying Beijing
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama talks with journalists in Geneva, Switzerland March 11, 2016. Credit: Reuters/Denis Balibouse
Agence France-Presse
June 15, 2016 · 1:30 PM EDT
China on Wednesday warned President Barack Obama against meeting with the Dalai Lama at the White House, saying that hosting the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader could damage mutual trust.
Obama has met the Dalai Lama several times before and calls the monk "a good friend." The Dalai Lama is revered by Tibetans but portrayed by Beijing as a dangerous separatist.
The meeting, planned for Wednesday will — as usual — take place behind closed doors in an effort to avoid angering China, which accuses the Nobel peace laureate of using "spiritual terrorism" to seek independence for Tibet.
"China's Foreign Ministry has launched solemn representations with the US side, expressing our firm opposition to such an arrangement," ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters.
http://www.pri.org/stories/2016-06-15/obama-meet-dalai-lama-white-house-defying-beijing
