Riz Khan

US-China tensions

How will Obama’s meeting with the Dalai Lama affect US-China relations?

A meeting between Barack Obama, the US president, and the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, at the White House on Thursday is complicating an already fractious relationship between Washington and Beijing.

China says it is the “wrong decision” and could hurt bilateral ties between the two nations.

The Dalai Lama fled his homeland in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese troops, who took control of Tibet nine years before.

Beijing considers him a separatist responsible for fomenting unrest in the region.

The latest spat comes barely three weeks after the Obama administration announced a $6.4bn arms deal with Taiwan.

Beijing called it a “crude interference in China’s domestic affairs” and warned the US of severe consequences.

On Thursday’s show we ask, how will the US deal with an increasingly assertive China?

Joining the conversation will be Bonnie Glaser, who works on issues related to Chinese foreign and security policy for the Washington DC-based foreign policy think-tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

We will also talk with Suisheng Zhao, a professor of international studies at the University of Denver as well as the author and editor of several books on China.

This episode of the Riz Khan show aired on Thursday, February 18.