Bush and the Dalai Lama

Today President Bush will meet with the Dalai Lama anyway, even though China has expressed "fury" over the meeting.

More news on the topic:

Voice of America

Forbes

from the AP report:

BEIJING (AP) — China said Tuesday that a decision by the U.S. Congress to honor the Dalai Lama would "seriously" damage relations between the countries.

The Congress will give the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, an award this week at a ceremony attended by President Bush.

"The move will seriously damage China-U.S. relations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said. Liu did not specify how relations would be damaged if the award does take place.

He told a regular news conference that China hoped the U.S. would "correct its mistakes and cancel relevant arrangements and stop interfering in the internal affairs of China."

Bush and the Dalai Lama were scheduled to meet at the White House later Tuesday, one day before a public ceremony will be held to award the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal.

BBC

from the Guardian Unlimited article:

China expressed anger today at America's red carpet treatment of the Dalai Lama and warned that plans to honour him would seriously damage relations with Beijing.

Despite Chinese protests, President Bush was scheduled to meet Tibet's exiled spiritual leader later today at the White House, the first sitting US president to do so.

Tomorrow, Mr Bush is to attend a ceremony on Capitol Hill where the Dalai Lama, who won the Nobel peace prize in 1989, will receive the congressional gold medal. Past recipients of America's highest award for civilians have included Tony Blair, Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela.

Times Online