China Angered by Dalai Lama Award

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The New York Sun

WASHINGTON — The White House vigorously defended President Bush’s plan to meet with the Dalai Lama today, brushing aside China’s warning that it would damage relations between Washington and Beijing.

Both Mr. Bush and members of Congress — who are presenting him with the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal tomorrow — are stirring anger in China by honoring the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet’s Buddhists.

“We solemnly demand that the U.S. cancel the extremely wrong arrangements,” Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said in Beijing. “It seriously violates the norm of international relations and seriously wounded the feelings of the Chinese people and interfered with China’s internal affairs.”

At the White House, a presidential spokesman, Tony Fratto, said: “We understand the concerns of the Chinese.” But he also said Mr. Bush always has attended congressional award presentation ceremonies, has met with the Dalai Lama several times before, and had no reason not to meet with him again.

No media access was to be allowed to the meeting that Mr. Bush was having with the Dalai Lama later today in the private residence of the White House.

The White House changed its typical policy and decided it would not release a photo of the meeting, underscoring the sensitivity of the matter.

“We in no way want to stir the pot and make China feel that we are poking a stick in their eye for a country that we have a lot of relationships with on a variety of issues,” a White House press secretary, Dana Perino, said. “And this might be one thing that we can do. But I don’t believe that that’s going to soothe the concerns in China.”

Ms. Perino also said Mr. Bush and the Dalai Lama would appear in photos together — one day later, at the congressional ceremony.

While the Dalai Lama is lauded in much of the world as a figure of moral authority, Beijing reviles the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and claims he seeks to destroy China’s sovereignty by pushing for independence for Tibet, where the Dalai Lama is considered a god-king.


The New York Sun

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