WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush met with the Dalai Lama Thursday, despite Chinese warnings that honors being bestowed on the Buddhist leader would harm relations.
The protest, communicated by both the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Communist Party secretary for Tibet, underscore China's resolve to prevent the Dalai Lama from garnering support in his drive to gain autonomy for Tibet, under Chinese control for more than 50 years, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.
After his private meeting with Bush, the Dalai Lama said the president had asked him about conditions in Tibet, and "accordingly, I explained."
The Dalai Lama, a Nobel laureate living in exile, will receive the Congressional Gold Medal Wednesday. Bush will present the medal, marking the first time a sitting U.S. president met in public with the spiritual and political leader. The Dalai Lama also will make a public address on the West Lawn of the Capitol.
Zhang Qingli, Tibet’s Communist Party leader, said there must be "no justice or good people in the world" if the Dalai Lama, "who basely splits his motherland," is honored, The New York Times reported.
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said China "solemnly demanded" the Bush administration cancel the honors.
