China protests as Obama meets with Dalai Lama

China has protested over the Dalai Lama’s presence at a public event attended by US president Barack Obama, saying America was exploiting the issue of Tibet for political purposes.

The Dalai Lama attended the National Prayer Breakfast yesterday in Washington, where he was welcomed by Obama as a “good friend”.

It was the first time the president and the Tibetan Buddhist leader had attended the same public event.

Beijing foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the Tibetan spiritual leader is regarded as a political exile working to overthrow Chinese rule over the Himalayan region under the cloak of religion. China opposes any country providing him with a platform to further his agenda.

The spokesman said Tibet was a core national interest over which China would make no compromises.

Mr Hong said: “We oppose any other country’s decision to allow Dalai to visit, and we oppose any country’s interference in China’s internal politics by exploiting the Tibet issue.

“We have repeatedly pointed out the Tibet issue concerns China’s core interest and national feelings. We oppose any other country’s decision to provide platforms for Dalai’s visit, and we oppose any foreign leaders’ meeting with Dalai,” he said.

Chinese officials routinely refer to the 79-year-old Nobel Peace Prize recipient as “Dalai” as a way of undercutting his religious legitimacy. China maintains that Tibet has been part of its territory for more than seven centuries while many Tibetans say they were effectively an independent country for most of that time.