The Reuters website reports today that President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama will meet on February 18, 2010, despite China's warning that such talks could hurt already-strained Sino-U.S. relations.
Obama's White House meeting with the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader is likely to set off a new round of lashing out from Beijing, which has seen tensions with Washington rise over issues from trade to currencies to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.
"The Dalai Lama is an internationally respected religious leader and spokesman for Tibetan rights, and the president looks forward to an engaging and constructive dialogue," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
The U.S. accepts Tibet as part of China, but wants Beijing to sit down with the Dalai Lama to address differences over the region's future. The Dalai Lama has said he wants autonomy for Tibet, which he fled in 1959.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment