;WASHINGTON (AP) – The Dalai Lama, after meeting privately Tuesday with President Bush, brushed off China’s furious reaction to U.S. celebrations this week in his honor.
“That always happens,” the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet’s Buddhists said with a laugh, speaking to reporters gathered outside his downtown Washington hotel.
The White House defended the meeting in the president’s residence and dismissed Beijing’s warning that the talks and the awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal to him on Wednesday would damage relations between the United States and China.
The Dalai Lama is hailed in much of the world as a figure of moral authority, but Beijing reviles the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and claims he seeks to destroy China’s sovereignty by pushing for independence for Tibet, where the Dalai Lama is considered a god-king.
When asked if he had a message for Chinese President Hu Jintao, the Dalai Lama playfully patted a reporter on the cheek and said, “You are not a representative of Hu Jintao.”
He said that during their meeting, he explained to Bush what was happening in Tibet and said he thanked the president for “showing his concern about Tibet.”
“We know each other, and we have developed, I think, a very close friendship – something like a reunion of one family,” the Dalai Lama said, speaking of Bush.
The Dalai Lama says he wants “real autonomy,” not independence, for Tibet. But China demonizes the spiritual leader and believes the United States is honoring a separatist.
Bush and U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday will present the Dalai Lama, who has lived with followers in exile in India since they fled Chinese soldiers in Tibet in 1959, with the prestigious congressional honor.
China has reacted with anger.
“We solemnly demand that the U.S. cancel the extremely wrong arrangements,” said Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. “It seriously violates the norm of international relations and seriously wounded the feelings of the Chinese people and interfered with China’s internal affairs.”
Presidential spokesman Tony Fratto said: “We understand the concerns of the Chinese.” But he also said Bush always has attended congressional award presentation ceremonies, has met with the Dalai Lama several times before and had no reason not to meet with him again.
No media access was allowed to Bush’s meeting with the Dalai Lama in the private residence section of the White House. In an exception to normal practice, the Bush administration did not release any pictures of the meeting. Nor did it put out a formal statement on it.
“We in no way want to stir the pot and make China feel that we are poking a stick in their eye for a country that we have a lot of relationships with on a variety of issues,” said press secretary Dana Perino. “And this might be one thing that we can do. But I don’t believe that that’s going to soothe the concerns in China.”
