Obama to meet Dalai Lama despite Chinese warning

[onehandle]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will host the Dalai Lama at the White House on Thursday despite China's warning that the meeting with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader could further damage strained ties.

Obama's first presidential meeting with the Dalai Lama is sure to draw angry complaints from Beijing, which is increasingly at odds with Washington over trade, currencies, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and Internet censorship.

With the two giant economies so deeply intertwined, tensions are considered unlikely to escalate into outright confrontation. The White House expects only limited fallout.

But the Dalai Lama's visit could complicate Obama's efforts to secure China's help on key issues such as imposing tougher sanctions on Iran, resolving the North Korean nuclear standoff and forging a new global accord on climate change.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100218/ts_nm/us_china_usa

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Our future overlords are such big babies.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

1. How much help does he expect from China?

on key issues such as imposing tougher sanctions on Iran, resolving the North Korean nuclear standoff and forging a new global accord on climate change?

My guess: not much, whether he meets with the D.L. or not.

:hi:

[Heywood J]

3. Indeed.

I'm sure China's going to step right up there and help us with those, like it was doing before this became an issue. :puke:

[msongs]

2. message to China - u want obama cooperation, tell him you're a republican lol nt

[Hekate]

4. China must not be allowed to gain the upper hand on US decisions about whom we associate with...

Believe me, there will be no end to their demands for concessions from our government. The Bush administration unfortunately displayed weakness to China, which could be fatal for our own aspirations if continued.

I have been appalled beyond words at some of the posters at DU (in previous threads, and give it time, maybe in this one) who think that because they already own our debt that we should be (to use an ancient Chinese term) kowtowing to their demands in this regard; or to use a pre-WW II term: appeasing them.

Bad, Bad Idea.

Namaste to HH the Dalai Lama, a great spiritual leader, and best of luck to his people, whose culture the Chinese istrying to wipe out from the face of the earth.

Hekate

[Hestia]

5. Totally agree Hekate, China has been angry at every president who has

met with the Dalai Lama, it's nothing new, and China certainly doesn't tell our leaders who they can and cannot meet with on a diplomatic level. Move along, move along, nothing to see here...

[Flaneur]

6. Chinese missiles to Iran?

I saw an advisor to the Chinese government on BBC last night talking tough. He said they need to punch the US hard in the gut over our continued affronts, said he was counseling the government to sell missiles to Iran to show us that actions have consequences.

[Lost Jaguar]

7. I understand...

...as I know His Holiness does, the political realities that restrict his visit to the Map Room. But I often fantasize about him giving a speech to a joint session of Congress.

[DerBeppo]

8. I'd rather him not.

We had 8 years of a theocrat doing that, I'd prefer not to have another.