The meeting came at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and China over Beijing’s assertive pursuit of territorial claims in East Asia.
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President Barack Obama thanked the Dalai Lama on Wednesday, June 14, 2016, for offering condolences after people were killed in the worst mass shooting in modern US history, as the pair once again angered China by meeting at the White House.
Meanwhile, denouncing the private meeting between President Obama and the Dalai Lama on Wednesday, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang categorically stated that the meeting will send a wrong signal to the separatist forces and the Tibet independence.
Stating that the Dalai Lama is a risky separatist, Kang urged Washington to conform to its promises to recognize that Tibet is part of China and stop any support for Tibet independence.
Chinese officials objected to the meeting, arguing that the Buddhist leader is a separatist who undermines their rule over Tibet.
The spiritual leader – who has lived in exile in India since a failed 1959 uprising – has for decades called for more Tibetan autonomy rather than independence.
“Such a meeting will hurt China-US mutual trust and cooperation”.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said President Obama conveyed to the Dalai Lama that he encourages dialogue between the Lama and China. The two leaders discussed issues. including human rights and climate change.
China’s Foreign Ministry said earlier it had lodged diplomatic representations with the United States over the planned meeting, saying it would damage Chinese-US ties. “I would just reiterate once again that the US position, as it relates to Tibet has not changed”.
Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama of using “spiritual terrorism” to seek independence for Tibet.
He made a high-profile public appearance with the Dalai Lama past year at a prayer breakfast in Washington, calling him “a powerful example of what it means to practice compassion”.
“While Obama often says he welcomes China’s peaceful rise, his meetings with the Dalai Lama erode his sincerity and make him look more like he is helping the latter continue to make trouble with China”, the daily said in an editorial.
He denied he was seeking independence and that it was in Tibet’s interests to remain part of China, “provided we should have full right for preservation of our own culture, or rich Buddhist knowledge, knowledge of Buddhist philosophy, these things”. “Playing the “Tibet card” shows the U.S. government is overdrawing its political credit and global prestige”.
China argues that this was in response of the military patrols close to the islands, which U.S. considers to be a move to protect freedom of navigation. They’ve retaliated against leaders who’ve met with the Dalai Lama in the past, such as when they canceled high-level meetings with British Prime Minister David Cameron in 2012, The New York Times reported.
The Dalai Lama led a minute of silent prayer for the shooting victims during a visit at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington on Monday, the day after a gunman opened fire at an Orlando, Florida, nightclub, killing 49 people and wounding dozens more.
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“In this case, the Dalai Lama is not a head of state, and so this was handled differently”.
