17 February 2010

Well, hello, Dalai

The BBC has an article about the Chinese reaction to the planned meeting between the President and the Dalai Lama:
China has again urged the United States to cancel a planned meeting between President Barack Obama and the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
The two men will meet at the White House on 18 February, US spokesman Robert Gibbs has confirmed. He said the Sino-US relationship was mature enough to disagree while finding common ground on international issues. China had already said that such a meeting would seriously undermine relations with the United States. Mr Gibbs said the Dalai Lama was "an internationally respected religious leader. He's a spokesman for Tibetan rights. The president looks forward to an engaging and constructive meeting," he said. "We think we have a mature enough relationship with the Chinese that we can agree on mutual interests, but also have a mature enough relationship that we know the two countries are not always going to agree on everything."
China reacted quickly to the announcement through its Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu: "We firmly oppose the Dalai Lama visiting the United States and US leaders having contact with him," Mr Ma said. "We urge the US side to fully understand the high sensitivity of Tibet-related issues, and honour its commitment to recognise Tibet as part of China and to oppose 'Tibet independence'," he added. "China urges the US to immediately call off the wrong decision of arranging for President Obama to meet with the Dalai Lama to avoid any more damage to Sino-US relations."
China, which took over Tibet in 1950, considers the Dalai Lama a separatist and tries to isolate the spiritual leader by asking foreign leaders not to see him. The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule and has since been living in India.
The US has already moved carefully on the issue. Mr Obama avoided meeting the Dalai Lama in Washington last year ahead of his own first state visit to Beijing. But, on that trip, he told his Chinese hosts his meeting with the revered Tibetan Buddhist leader would go ahead.
The meeting this month will take place in the White House Map Room, not the symbolic surroundings of the Oval Office, where Mr Obama normally meets foreign leaders and VIP guests.
President George W Bush also met the Dalai Lama at the White House.
Rico says it would be terrible, of course, if the President of the most powerful nation on earth (let's not forget whose nuclear-armed carrier is in whose port right now) met with the head of the most powerful (in a gentle, Buddhist sort of way) religious movement on earth. Not... Lest there be any doubt, fuck the Chinese. They wanna get pissed about it? Fine. Let them eat their crappy plastic exports.

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