Obama defies China, meets the Dalai Lama

President Barack Obama met with the Dalai Lama at the White House on Friday over the stern objection of China, which warned the meeting would “inflict grave damages” on the U.S. relationship with the Asian nation.

Mr. Obama greeted the Dalai Lama while the Dalai Lama and fellow Nobel laureate was in the U.S. on a speaking tour. The meeting was closed to photographers, and, unlike during some previous visits, the Dalai Lama departed the White House without speaking to reporters.

Ananth Krishnan writes from Beijing:

China on Friday said it had lodged “solemn representations” with the U.S. to raise its objections over President Obama deciding to host the Dalai Lama at the White House.

The Chinese government issued a strongly-worded statement saying it “urged” the U.S. to “immediately cancel” the meeting, which had been announced in Washington on Thursday evening.

Beijing described the meeting as an “unjustified interference in China’s domestic affairs” and warned it would cause “great damage” to relations between China and the U.S. “We urge the United States to take China’s concerns seriously and not to facilitate or offer occasion for the Dalai Lama to conduct anti-China secessionist moves,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

She said China was “greatly concerned” about the meeting, as it viewed the Tibetan issue as “a domestic affair of China.” She described the Dalai Lama as “a political figure in exile who is undertaking anti-China separatist activities in the name of religion.” The Dalai Lama, however, has repeatedly denied China’s allegations and maintained he is not seeking independence, but only genuine autonomy for Tibetans living in China.