China Slams Obama for Dalai Lama Meeting

The Associated Press reports:

China on Sunday slammed President Barack Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama as an act that has "grossly interfered in China's internal affairs" and damaged Chinese-American relations, and demanded the U.S. remedy the situation.

The strident statement from China's Foreign Ministry came hours after Obama met with the Tibetan spiritual leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate in Washington.

China had already called on the United States to stop Saturday's meeting, warning it could hurt relations between the two countries.

But after the White House meeting went ahead, China issued a second, hardened statement and said the Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. had lodged objections with U.S. representatives in Beijing and Washington.

"Such an act has grossly interfered in China's internal affairs, hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and damaged Sino-American relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in the statement.

"We demand the U.S. side seriously consider China's stance, immediately adopt measures to wipe out the baneful impact, stop interfering in China's internal affairs and cease to connive and support anti-China separatist forces that seek 'Tibetan independence,'" Ma said.

China considers the Dalai Lama a separatist intent on ending Chinese rule over Tibet. The Nobel laureate has repeatedly denied the accusations and says he seeks only a high level of autonomy for Tibet.