China attacks Obama’s Dalai Lama meeting

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

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

But after the White House meeting went ahead, China issued a second statement saying the Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in the US had lodged objections with US 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,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu.

He demanded the US cease its support for “anti-China separatist forces that seek Tibetan independence.”

China considers the Dalai Lama a separatist. He says he seeks only a high level of autonomy for Tibet.