Dalai Lama Visit: President Obama Meets Spiritual Leader, China Complains

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama held a White House meeting Saturday with the Dalai Lama, a fellow Nobel Peace laureate, hours after China called on the U.S. to rescind an invitation that could sour relations with Beijing.

The Tibetan spiritual leader has been in Washington for an 11-day Buddhist ritual. Thousands of expatriate Tibetans joined a 76th birthday celebration Wednesday for the Dalai Lama, who's just relinquished leadership of Tibet's government-in-exile.

The White House said that during the 45-minute private session in the Map Room, Obama "underscored the importance of the protection of human rights of Tibetans in China." In a statement issued after the meeting, the White House also said Obama reiterated his support for the preservation of Tibet's religious, cultural and linguistic traditions.

Obama restated U.S. policy that it does not support Tibetan independence, a goal that the Dalai Lama said he also does not seek.

In a nod to the criticism from Beijing, Obama also stressed to the Dalai Lama that he considers a cooperative relationship between the United States and China to be important, according to the White House statement.

In remarks after the meeting forwarded by Kate Saunders from the International Campaign for Tibet, the Dalai Lama said of his visit with Obama: "Firstly we developed a very close sort of feeling for each other." He said Obama expressed his concern over basic human values, such as human rights and religious freedoms. "So naturally he shows genuine concern about suffering in Tibet and other places."

A Chinese crackdown led the Dalai Lama to flee into exile in India in 1959. China says he's welcome to return if he drops his separatist activities, accepts Tibet as an inalienable part of China and recognizes Taiwan as a province of China.

Hours before the Dalai Lama's arrival, the Chinese Foreign Ministry urged the White House to cancel the visit.

"We firmly oppose any foreign official to meet with the Dalai Lama in any form," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a statement posted on the ministry's website.

"We request the U.S. side to honor its serious commitment that recognizes Tibet as part of China and opposes Tibet independence," Hong said.

The White House kept the meeting low-key, closing it from news reporters and photographers. It chose the Map Room for the visit instead of the Oval Office, which is reserved for visiting heads of state.

The visit comes less than 10 days before U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to visit the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. Vice President Joseph Biden is also scheduled to visit China this summer, followed by a trip to Washington by his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.

Obama had been criticized by pro-Tibetan activists for putting off an invitation during the Dalai Lama's stay in the capital. White House officials said the president's schedule had been occupied with debt-limit negotiations with congressional leaders.

Obama last met the Dalai Lama in February 2010.

Comments

[Zaida Adams]

11:41 AM on 08/10/2011

Im curious to hear what others think of the body language between the 2 in the above picture. What thought/persuasion do you think each is projecting?

[brunochamp]

11:23 PM on 07/29/2011

As a Buddhist, I have no use for the Dali Lama. He is an opportunist who loves the spotlight and it is because of the lamas that Tibetans never had a chance to defend their country. What do these two have in common? Neither of them ever did anything to deserve the Nobel Peace Prize they were so gratuitously awarded.

[NFN Kalyan]

10:17 AM on 09/06/2011

ok.

[HanMeiRen]

04:29 AM on 07/23/2011

One wonders what spirituality is being talked about during the meeting. The Rolling Stone interview with the Dalai Lama on June 2, 2011 might give us a hint.

The Dalai Lama, while rejecting the demonization of him by some Chinese leaders, came back with a little demonization of his own during the interview.

"They want 100 percent negative. So they use these words. They actually disgrace themselves…I mean, childish! Very foolish! Nobody believes them,” the Dalai Lama started his diatribe.

What sharp tongue…what happens to that mask of gentle monk? The Dalai Lama surely knows the effect of propaganda and is a master of applying it to spread his agenda himself. “Cultural genocide” repeated 1000 times, Dalai?

“Usually, with human beings, one part of the brain develops common sense. But with those Chinese leaders, particularly the hardliners, that part of their brain is missing,” the Dalai Lama followed.

What slanderous garbage. If this is not demonization what is demonization? It just shows the Dalai Lama is throwing a tantrum, just like any petty politician, when he does not get his way.

“When I met with President (Barack) Obama last year, I told him, 'You should make a little surgery. Put that part of brain into the Chinese,” the Dalai Lama ended his diatribe.

This is what the Dalai Lama talks about behind closed doors. It is beyond insulting. No wonder the Chinese leaders do not take him seriously. The demonization is mutual…and it may not have started by the Chinese.

[wereeverywhere]

08:14 PM on 07/20/2011

Here's just some of what Tibetans face under occupation:
http://en.rsf.org/chine-communist-party-celebrates-01-07-2011,40572.html

The closure of a number of Tibetan websites was ordered in March. One of them was Tibetcul, a Chinese-language site specializing in the economy that was closed on 16 March. Co-founder Wangchuk Tseten reported on his personal microblog that “higher authorities” ordered the server operators to close it for reasons that have not been disclosed.

MyBudala, a website affiliated to Tibetcul, and the MyBudala social network were also closed in the first 10 days of March. Two other Tibetan-language sites, DobumNet and Sangdhor, and possibly others, were also rendered inaccessible.

Harassment by the Chinese authorities of Tibetan monks in the Ngaba region in eastern Tibet resulted in the arrests of journalists and writers. Sherab Gyatso, a writer and monk, was reportedly arrested for the third time in early March in Chengdu...

Tashi Rabten, the editor of the banned literary magazine Shar Dungri, who uses the pen-name of Theurang, was sentenced to four years in prison on 2 June on a charge of “inciting activities aimed at dividing the nation.” Originally from Ngaba and a student at the University of Lanzhou, he was previously jailed in April 2010 following the publication of “Written in Blood,” a book about the brutal crackdown by Chinese police on peaceful Tibetan demonstrators in 2008. The book has been banned and copies that were already distributed have been confiscated.

[tksensei]

07:43 AM on 07/19/2011

It seems that no matter what the topic, members of the lefty joyjoy club will find a way to inject their partisan nonsense, then hold hands and jump around in a circle squealing with delight at themselves.


...yikes...

[jennielake]

03:06 AM on 07/19/2011

In the world we live in now - will this be the last Dali Lama?

[Observer111]

08:31 PM on 07/18/2011

while Obama meets bald cult leader US reality is as follows

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48RQ4ZeqUkU&feature=player_embedded

[wereeverywhere]

09:19 PM on 07/18/2011

It's almost funny when apologists for an authoritarian government's invasion attempt to slander the Dalai Lama. You give away your absurd logic doing so.

[gunnerfan5]

07:06 AM on 07/19/2011

His logic is not so much absurb as utterly non existent!

[Observer111]

05:14 PM on 07/20/2011

Dalai Llama is a pawn in dirty US game of smearing China. Cult leaders should not traffic in politics but rather pray

[Don Stalvino]

03:55 PM on 07/18/2011

Nice tie, Obama.

[tksensei]

06:53 AM on 07/19/2011

You didn't expect him to have any class or show any respect, did you?

[claraluz]

03:09 PM on 07/18/2011

So China strongly objects to foreign officials meeting with the Dalai Lama?? What's next, setting a curfew for errant officials? Should they ask permission when meeting someone to make sure it's OK with the Chinesee government? Is China now the Nanny of the World? Much of the world strongly objects to China polluting the atmosphere and exporting contamined food and medicine. but I don't see China stopping any time soon...

[anniesez455]

04:19 PM on 07/18/2011

Speak Chinese? Coming soon to America with default on our loans due to over entitlement programs

[accautotrainer]

03:30 AM on 07/19/2011

I knew there would just have to be someone who would tie this meeting to the current debt-ceiling crisis while utilizing it as a "stump" against those receiving Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Hmmm! I am still trying to see the link here!

[Pod-gers]

11:35 AM on 07/18/2011

As more Tibetan's rise out of poverty, Americans sink into poverty. Here we have Obama, in the midst of a budgit crisis, meeting with China's nemisis, the Dalai Lama. This smack in the fact to China comes on the heels of China agreeing to inmcrease their purchace of US Treasuries for the past two months. Do unto others?

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-02/24/c_13748222.htm
Tibet's poverty-stricken population nearly halved

Interestingly enough, iy is these very efforts to assist folks out of poverty that the dalai Lama and his activist supporters are complaining about. I see he is enjoying his tea.

[claraluz]

02:58 PM on 07/18/2011

It's somewhat hard to follow this "stream of consciousness" type of post...

[wereeverywhere]

09:21 PM on 07/18/2011

I believe you can get a decoder ring to translate such drivel if you write the Ministry of Truth in Beijing.

[tksensei]

06:59 AM on 07/19/2011

Yeah, and Korea's economy, infrastructure, educational system, political system, and standard of living improved under Japanese occupation. Go to the airport, buy a ticket, fly to Seoul, exit the airport, and stop the first person you see on the street and tell them they were better off occupied. When you get back, and after you have been discharged from the hospital, let us know how it went.

[claraluz]

09:19 AM on 07/20/2011

tksensei, LOL!! I lived for several years in that part of the world and I know just what you mean!

[MightyObjectiveObserver]

10:59 AM on 07/18/2011

Boohoo, China crying like a baby again as with the Nobel prize incident. They should learn that no one can control everything that´s happening in this world and also learn to listen to criticism without going nuts every time.

[fineartgalaxy]

10:39 AM on 07/18/2011

The Dalai-Lama is truly a man of peace.

[Pod-gers]

11:05 AM on 07/18/2011

The Dalai Lama has refused to condemn the violence in Lhasa, including the burning alive of 5 shope girle. Worse than that, he said he understood the frustration of those terrorists that committed the violence for political purposes, because he too was frustrated.

In my opinion, those are not the words of a peaceful man. perhaps he thinks his cause makes terror tactics understandable?

[Waterphoneman]

10:16 AM on 07/18/2011

China complains? It is Tibet that should be complaining but can't complain since the Chinese took over their country.

[Rexter]

09:50 AM on 07/18/2011

China won't protest too much. Just remind them how much money we owe them and they will relent.

[troyrobertdavid]

09:37 AM on 07/18/2011

Of course China protested this meeting, they hate it when anyone pays any attention to Tibet, they know their policies toward them are draconian and hate it when any light is shed on that fact.

[accautotrainer]

03:36 AM on 07/19/2011

How about some substitutions here?

For China, substitute the word Republicans and Tea Party folks!
For Tibet, substitute the words President Obama
For the word know, substitute these words: believe with high levels of paranoid behavior.
Take out the word draconian
Keep the word hate
For the word it, substitute the word: President Obama
Substitute unfounded theory for the word fact


You now have an excellent post!

[brunochamp]

11:25 PM on 07/29/2011

You are totally pathetic, a whiner and crybaby like your manchild president.