The Dalai Lama is scheduled to visit Washington on Feb. 17-18 and, despite China’s opposition, is expected to meet President Obama at some point during those two days, sources close to the exiled Tibetan leader said Wednesday.
Obama was criticized by human rights groups for postponing a meeting with the Tibetan leader in October in the run-up to a summit with China’s president, Hu Jintao. During the summit, Obama told Hu that he was planning to meet with the Dalai Lama.
Over the past several days, the United States and China have publicly clashed over the planned meeting and other issues, including the Obama administration’s decision to sell $6.4 billion in weapons to Taiwan — which China claims is part of its territory. The disagreements have led to the impression that the Obama administration is embracing a new “get tough” policy with China, but U.S. officials and independent analysts close to the Obama administration deny that is the case.
Full story: Obama to meet with Dalai Lama this month via washingtonpost.com