By Jethro Mullen, CNN
updated 1:55 PM EST, Fri February 21, 2014<\/p>\n
Hong Kong (CNN) — President Barack Obama met on Friday with the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, despite China’s appeal not to do so.<\/p>\n
The White House said in a statement that Obama “reiterated his strong support for the preservation of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural, and linguistic traditions and the protection of human rights for Tibetans” in China.<\/p>\n
China urged Obama to call off the meeting at the White House.<\/p>\n
“By arranging a meeting between the President and the Dalai Lama, the U.S. side will grossly interfere in the internal affairs of China, seriously violate norms governing international relations and severely impair China-U.S. relations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The two have met previously<\/p>\n
Obama has met with the Dalai Lama twice before, in February 2010 and July 2011. China responded to those meetings with similarly angry comments.<\/p>\n
Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama of being a separatist who foments unrest in Tibet, a region it claims has been part of China since “ancient times.”<\/p>\n
The Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising, has long denied China’s assertion that he’s seeking Tibetan independence. He says he wants only enough autonomy to protect its traditional Buddhist culture.<\/p>\n
The Obama administration says it supports the Dalai Lama’s “Middle Way” approach to the political tensions over protests for Tibetan independence.<\/p>\n
The White House said Obama stressed that he encourages “direct dialogue to resolve long-standing differences and that a dialogue that produces results would be positive for China and Tibetans.”<\/p>\n
Obama reiterated the U.S. position that Tibet “is part of” China and that the United States does not support Tibet independence.<\/p>\n
The Dalai Lama stated that he is not seeking independence for Tibet and hopes that dialogue between his representatives and the Chinese government will resume.<\/p>\n
Concerns over human rights<\/p>\n
Over the past five years, at least 125 Tibetans have set themselves on fire, most of them fatally, to protest Chinese rule, according to Tibetan advocacy groups.<\/p>\n
Beijing has taken a tough line on Tibetan self-immolators, their associates and other forms of protest. Tibetans have been convicted of murder in Chinese courts for “inciting” people to set themselves on fire.<\/p>\n
The frequency of self-immolations declined during 2013, according to the London-based advocacy group Free Tibet.<\/p>\n
China rejects accusations of oppression, saying that under its rule, living standards have greatly improved for the Tibetan people.<\/p>\n
Beijing “lodged solemn representations” with the United States before Friday’s meeting, saying “Tibet-related affairs fall entirely within the internal affairs of China which allow no foreign interference,” Hua of the Chinese foreign ministry said.<\/p>\n
A meeting between British Prime Minister David Cameron and the Dalai Lama last year cast a chill over relations between London and Beijing, delaying a visit to China by Cameron.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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