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M. Continuo

China urges U.S. to cancel Obama's Dalai Lama meeting


    BEIJING (Reuters) - China has urged the United States to "immediately withdraw" plans for President Barack Obama to meet with the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday.

    The report cited foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu.

    The White House said on Thursday that President Obama would meet with the Dalai Lama on February 18 despite China's warning that such talks would hurt already strained ties between the two countries.

    China has fiercely protested against the planned meeting, saying that the Dalai Lama is a dangerous separatist responsible for fomenting unrest in Tibet.

    (Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Ken Wills)