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.