http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/02/04/obama-to-meet-dalai-lama-in-february/?fbid=_uZnLbrB2TV

Quote :

"Obama to meet Dalai Lama in February Washington (CNN) – President Barack Obama will meet with the Dalai Lama later this month, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday. Gibbs declined to give a specific date. The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, has speaking engagements scheduled in the United States in late February and in May. Earlier this week, China warned that ties between two of the world's superpowers would be strained if Obama met with the Dalai Lama. "It will seriously undermine the foundation of Sino-U.S. political relations," said Zhu Weiqun, a Communist Party official who is in charge of talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama. "We will take corresponding action to make relevant countries see their mistakes." Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama of advocating for Tibetan independence from China. Tibet is technically autonomous from the central Chinese government, but the Dalai Lama and others have said they favor genuine autonomy and resent the slow erosion of their culture amid an influx of Han Chinese, the most numerous ethnic group in China. Zhu said there would be no compromise on China's control of Tibet. The Dalai Lama fled China in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. He lives in exile in the north Indian hill town of Dharamsala."

He should have done this already, I'm glad he's manning up... even if this will make things awkward at the secret communist dinner parties President Obama likes to go to.

2/4/2010 5:10:39 PM

Why should he have met with the Dalai Lama already? Or at all for that matter.

2/4/2010 5:15:22 PM

I still believe that the president met with him last time that he was in town. They were just smart about where and when they did it and the press was none the wiser.

^ and it's been tradition for every sitting president to meet with the dalai lama

2/4/2010 5:24:27 PM

^ You mean the whole "Taking Michelle out to dinner at the hotel that the Dalai Lama was staying at" thing?

Not too subtle if that's what they were doing, but I suppose the fact that there's still a question about it shows that it was a good plan.

I'm just glad he seems to still have some leftover testicular fortitude from his Republispanking last week. Now I know why they won't do it again, it gives Obama way too much confidence for their tastes.

2/4/2010 5:35:49 PM

Fuck China.

2/4/2010 5:38:45 PM

Quote :

"You mean the whole "Taking Michelle out to dinner at the hotel that the Dalai Lama was staying at" thing?"

haha yea - i work across the street from there - and it dawned on me what might have been going down.

2/4/2010 5:39:54 PM

Why should he have met with the Dalai Lama already? Or at all for that matter.

2/4/2010 11:20:59 PM

It is important for the president to meet with world leaders of all stripes to get a balanced and first hand understanding of their broad issues, to increase the information exchange between the various leaders, and to have a working relationship with them.

2/4/2010 11:31:59 PM

Peace.

Talking is a part of diplomacy, which we should engage in with world leaders of all kinds, because on the whole diplomacy promotes peace & understanding.

2/5/2010 2:43:46 PM

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/18/obama.dalailama/index.html

Quote :

"Washington (CNN) -- President Obama stressed his "strong support for the preservation of Tibet's unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity and the protection of human rights for Tibetans" in China during a meeting Thursday with the Dalai Lama, according to a White House statement. Obama also praised the Dalai Lama's "Middle Way" approach, "his commitment to nonviolence and his pursuit of dialogue with the Chinese government," the statement added. The president "stressed that he has consistently encouraged both sides to engage in direct dialogue to resolve differences and was pleased to hear about the recent resumption of talks," it noted. Obama and the Dalai Lama also agreed "on the importance of a positive and cooperative relationship between the United States and China." The Dalai Lama said Thursday that he raised concerns about Tibet during the meeting. The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader did not offer any further specifics about his home region's political situation while addressing reporters. The two leaders met despite strong objections from the Chinese government, which views the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist. "Since my childhood, I've always admired America," the Dalai Lama said. It is a "champion of democracy and ... freedom." He cited the need to promote "religious harmony" and "human value" as a way to help bring "peace to the world." The meeting could complicate Sino-U.S. tensions, which have been rising in recent months. China has warned that it will certainly damage ties with Washington. "It will seriously undermine the Sino-U.S. political relations," Zhu Weiqun, a senior Communist Party leader in charge of ethnic and religious affairs, said recently. "We will take corresponding action to make relevant countries see their mistakes." Poll: Most Americans favor Tibetan independence The Dalai Lama has says he favors genuine autonomy for Tibetans, not independence for Tibet. Beijing regards the Nobel Peace Prize laureate as a politician who wishes to sever Tibet from China. Obama did not meet with the Dalai Lama during his Washington visit last fall, making it the first time since 1991 a meeting with the U.S. president and Tibetan spiritual leader had not occurred. Ahead of a summit with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Obama persuaded Tibetan representatives then to postpone the meeting with the Dalai Lama. Thursday's meeting took place as prickly issues have come between Washington and Beijing, including trade disputes; a recent U.S. arm sales deal for Taiwan, which China considers an illegitimate breakaway province; and a censorship row over Internet search engine Google Inc. "It's going to be another event in the recent, one has to say, downward spiral in U.S.-China relations," said China scholar David Shambaugh. Obama's meeting was also troublesome for the Chinese for one other important reason, Shambaugh said. "He could have met him as a spiritual leader in a neutral place like a church," he said. But he received him "in the White House, and that is a political act. And that is going to irritate China very much." The meeting didn't take place in the formal, official setting of the Oval Office. It instead was held in the White House Map Room, which is considered part of the presidential residence. The choice of settings is considered by many observers to be a sign of Washington's acknowledgment of Beijing's political sensitivities. The Dalai Lama also is scheduled to meet Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the State Department."

2/18/2010 1:40:08 PM

2/19/2010 9:23:21 AM

^

"Do you wanna go do some Hoops?"

2/19/2010 9:40:44 AM

China is disappointed?

Tough shit.

Oh, by the way, we sold a lot of weapons to Taiwan again, and will continue to do so.

Get used to it.

2/19/2010 9:46:16 AM

fuck China

2/19/2010 11:10:05 AM

I could easily kill this thread with:

"POST BELOW THE NEXT TIME CHINA IS HAPPY"

Dead thread then.

2/19/2010 11:17:11 AM

^mustn't let your evil scheme work



Okay, now the thread can die.

2/21/2010 8:00:24 PM