Republicans Chide Obama for Snubbing Dalai Lama

Republicans are criticizing President Obama for refusing to meet with the Dalai Lama this week during the Tibetan spiritual leader's visit to Washington, The Hill reported late Monday. GOP lawmakers said the snub sent the wrong message to China and the world about human rights. The Dalai Lama has been to Washington 10 times since 1991, and has visited the White House on each occasion.

"The U.S. is kowtowing to Beijing again by refusing to meet with His Holiness," said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Fla.), the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "This is a policy turned upside down."

"The Chinese are beginning to dictate what the Obama administration is doing," said Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.). "Do you think the Chinese will respect this? It's a sign of weakness."

Both Democrats and Republicans have spoken out against China's human rights record, but the Obama administration has been working to improve relations with the country. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has said that human rights concerns should not get in the way of working with China on the global economic crisis and climate change. The Chinese regime considers the Tibetan leader an outlaw and strongly opposes any meetings between him and the U.S. government, making the administration sensitive to causing any senseless rifts over symbolism.

Other American lawmakers will meet with the Dalai Lama during his visit, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a harsh critic of the Chinese government. On Tuesday, Pelosi will present him the Lantos Human Rights Prize in a special ceremony on Capitol Hill. "If we do not speak out on human rights in China and Tibet, we lose moral authority," Pelosi said earlier this year.

GOP Chides Obama Over Dalai Lama [The Hill]