The Dalai Lama traveled to New York in June for medical treatment on his knees.
New York:
Senior officials from the U.S. State Department and the White House met with the Dalai Lama in New York on Wednesday and “reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to advancing the human rights of Tibetans,” the State Department said.
The meeting with the 89-year-old exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism is likely to irritate China, which views him as a dangerous separatist and opposes any country’s officials contacting him.
The Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet, traveled to New York in June for medical treatment on his knees, his first visit to the United States since 2017.
A State Department statement said Uzra Zeya, the US Assistant Secretary for Human Rights and Special Coordinator for Tibetan Affairs, traveled to New York for an audience with the Dalai Lama, along with the White House Director of Human Rights, Kelly Razzouk.
It said Zeya “on behalf of President Biden, conveyed best wishes for the good health of His Holiness and reaffirmed the US commitment to promote the human rights of Tibetans and support efforts to protect their distinctive historical, linguistic, cultural and religious heritage retain.”
Zeya discussed U.S. efforts to address human rights abuses in Tibet and support for a resumption of dialogue between China and the Dalai Lama, the statement said.
A group of US lawmakers met the Dalai Lama in India before his trip to the US and said they would not allow China to influence the choice of his successor.
Last month, China voiced strong opposition to a US law signed by President Joe Biden that pressures Beijing to resolve a dispute over Tibet’s demands for greater autonomy, vowing to “firmly defend” its interests.
The Dalai Lama has met with US officials, including US presidents, during previous visits to the US, but Biden has not met him since taking office in 2021.
In 2020, Biden criticized then-President Donald Trump for being the only president in three decades who had not met or spoken to the Tibetan spiritual leader, calling it “shameful.”
Wednesday’s meeting comes as Biden has sought to stabilize shaky ties with China ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election that pits Vice President Kamala Harris against Trump.
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the meeting.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
