Obama Ignores China: Calls Dalailama “Good Friend” In Washington

Ignoring the concerns of China on hosting Tibet’s spiritual leader Dalailama, the U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday welcomed the monk in Washington and called him a “good friend."

Both Mr Obama and Dalailama made a rare joint appearance at the National Prayer Breakfast held at the Washington Hilton hotel. The event brought together 3,300 evangelical and other faith leaders. NASCAR star Darrell Waltrip delivered the keynote address and Mr Obama used the occasion to speak about the importance of religious freedom.

White House Official

Both Mr Obama and the Dalailama did not directly meet at the event, but greeted each other from their tables. Valerie Jarrett, Senior Adviser at White House sat at the Dalailama’s table, as a sign of support. The monk sat in the audience in the front row, facing the president.

The U.S. President greeted the Buddhist monk with a bow-like gesture, reports Time magazine, and called him “a powerful example of what it means to practice compassion and who inspires us to speak up for the freedom and dignity of all human beings.”

At the event, Mr Obama reflected on the monk's teachings and called for religious tolerance and noted that too often faith is twisted to justify violence. The President said faith is driving people to do right but it is also being distorted as a wedge or weapon, citing the recent attacks in Pakistan and Paris.

Chinese Reaction

Reuters reports that as soon as the breakfast event was announced, China had expressed its displeasure with any country meeting Dalailama, under any circumstances.

The English-language commentary issued by the Xinhua news agency warned against any such encounter. “Chumming with a secessionist is playing with fire,” it said. It also added that any meeting would “dampen the hard-won positive momentum in China-U.S. relations.”

During the event, nearly 100 supporters of the Dalai Lama waved Tibetan flags outside the hotel. Across the street, about 50 people protested against his presence.

The Dalailama fled to India in 1959 after leading an uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet. Beijing still calls him a dangerous "splittist", who is trying to establish an independent Tibet, though the monk denies it and says his goal is to secure more autonomy to Tibet.

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