China asked Washington to avoid speaking with the Dalia Lama. The invitation that had been extended for the President to meet with the Dalia Lama should be revoked and immediately. Going through with the plan would hurt the feelings of the Chinese government. President Barack Obama chose to go ahead with the scheduled meeting, but took some steps to lessen the impact of that meeting.

The Tibetan spiritual leader has been in Washington D.C. for an eleven day ritual and was given a celebration for his 76th birthday. Thousands of former Tibetans came to the city for that celebration.

The Dalia Lama has given up the leadership of Tibet but remains in exile. While many of the Tibetans want to be independent of Chinese rule, their own leader has said that he does not support Tibetan independence. President Obama made a similar statement, reinforcing the United States policy that does not give support to such a move. However, the US does support any move that will preserve the traditions, cultural, religious and language of Tibet as well as doing everything that can be done to protect human rights there.

The Dalia Lama went into political exile in 1959 when the Chinese government cracked down on the small nation. The current Chinese regime has said that the Lama can come back should he will willing to stop anything that might be deemed “separatist activities”, that he acknowledge that Tibet is and always will be a part of China and that Taiwan is also a Chinese province.

The visit, held in the Map Room in the White House, strained the Chinese-American relationship according to a Chinese spokesman,even though it was not considered an official visit by the head of state. In addition to moving the meeting to a less austere room, the White House prohibited photos or news reporters to minimize the impact of the meeting.

United States Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to go to China, namely the city of Shenzhen in less than two weeks while Vice President Joseph Biden is expected to visit the country some time later this summer.

Tibetans in the US have been critical of Obama’s failure to meet with the Dalia Lama before now, saying that he was being coerced by the Chinese government to do so. Obama has countered that he has been busy with the looming debt ceiling crisis.

China is one of America’s debtors, holding one trillion dollars in US treasury debt. If the government defaults on this debt it will send interest rates skyrocketing through the roof and will destroy the US dollar. Anything that destroys the US dollar will have far reaching and very serious impact on the global economy.

High ranking US officials have chastised China for not opening a line of dialogue with the Dalia Lama before now, however, there are others who are questioning what the purpose would be since the Lama has renounced any leadership of Tibet.