Obama to Defy China Threats and Meet the Dalai Lama

Obama to Defy China Threats and Meet the Dalai Lama

The Obama Administration had worried me for ceding too much ground to the communist state of China but the last one week has reassured me that Obama has got the nerve to take on the Chinese authorities.

As reports that Obama intended to meet the Dalai Lama emerged from White House, the Chinese authorities were quick to issue warnings of serious implications to the US-China ties. Chinese Communist Party official Zhu Weiqun was quoted as saying there would be "corresponding action" if the meeting went ahead.

But Obama has boldly announced that he will meet the Dalai Lama in spite of the threat. He says the Dalai Lama is a respected religious and cultural leader and Obama will meet him in that capacity.

Past US Presidents have always held talks with the Dalai Lama but Obama skipped a meeting with him before a trip to China. There were fears in diplomatic circles that Obama was condescending too much to China.

China was at their threat game the other day when US sealed a deal to supply Taiwan with a $6.4 b worth of arms. China warned of unspecified actions against the US. China claims Taiwan is part of her territory and discourages states from recognizing it as an independent state. The US has a standing obligation to protect Taiwan and I was keenly watching whether Obama was to sacrifice this obligation. China has threatened military action against Taiwan if it shows any signs of independence.

Obama is increasingly becoming bold against China after initial missteps. Earlier, Obama ordered a ban on Chinese tires sparking a trade row. Again, Obama’s administration was quick to support the internet search engine giant Google when it threatened to pull out of China over constant hacking by the Chinese authorities.

Initial display of lack of spine by the Obama administration had emboldened China but recent moves by Obama must have sent Chinese diplomatic wonks back to the drawing board. The US is not about to relent on their super power status and China still has some way to go.

I hold China to be an irresponsible power with dubious human rights credentials and is notorious for propping up repressive regimes in Africa.

Is the world ready for China as a superpower?