WASHINGTON // Despite the possibility of a diplomatic backlash, Barack Obama today will meet the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual and political leader whose visits to the US capital have long been a source of tension with China.
The meeting, scheduled to take place in the West Wing of the White House, risks further complicating a US-Chinese relationship that has been strained of late on several fronts, including recent disagreements over trade, arms sales and sanctions on Iran.
China, which maintains that Tibet is part of its territory and views the Dalai Lama as a threat, has warned Mr Obama to cancel the meeting. Zhu Weiqun, a Communist Party leader responsible for China's Tibet affairs, said the meeting would "seriously undermine the political foundation of Sino-US relations" and "threaten trust and co-operation".
"We will take corresponding action to make relevant countries see their mistakes," he said in a recent news conference.
Political posturing aside, such threats from the Chinese are not new and the Dalai Lama's visit, telegraphed by Washington for months, is unlikely to seriously impact the multifaceted relationship between the world's two most powerful countries.
In 2007, when Congress awarded the Dalai Lama the Congressional Gold Medal, which, along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, is the United States's highest civilian honour, China's similar warning of "an extremely serious impact" on relations never came to fruition.
The Dalai Lama, who fled China in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, lives in exile in the north Indian town of Dharamsala. He does not advocate Tibetan independence but wants greater Tibetan autonomy under Chinese rule.
Mr Obama chose not to meet with the Dalai Lama during the Buddhist leader's visit to Washington in October, which many interpreted as a gesture to curry favour with Beijing ahead of Mr Obama's trip there the following month. Human rights and Tibet-advocacy groups, however, criticised the decision as a snub and a sign that the new administration was willing to put economic and diplomatic interests ahead of democracy and human-rights concerns.
Even today's visit to Washington is likely to be choreographed so as not to offend the Chinese. Typically the Dalai Lama's meeting with US presidents is held in private and no photographs are released to the public. Mr Obama, as has become custom, will not receive the Dalai Lama in the Oval Office.
The meeting comes amid an array of US-Chinese disputes, including a recently finalised US arms sale to Taiwan that prompted China to suspend military exchanges with the United States and security talks on a broad range of issues, including arms control and nuclear non-proliferation. Previous US arms deals with Taiwan, which China considers its province, also have rattled Beijing.
The United States accuses China of artificially depressing its currency in order to boost Chinese exports and the two sides have traded barbs in recent months over climate change and internet censorship. In a speech last month, Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, listed China among a group of countries that "restrict free access to information" and "risk walling themselves off from the progress of the next century".
Despite such grievances, however, the White House continues to seek Chinese co-operation on a fourth round of United Nations' sanctions against Iran, a move Beijing has resisted because of its extensive economic ties to the Islamic republic.
"Right now it's a little bit of a political maelstrom and the Dalai Lama is sort of coming right smack-dab in the middle of it," Elizabeth Economy, the director for Asia Studies at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations, said. "As far as the Iran policy is concerned, this is just one more difficult effort on the part of the administration to get Beijing to move."
Still, Ms Economy cautioned against overstating the impact of the Dalai Lama's visit. "The truth is that we've been working for two, three years to bring Beijing on board with tougher measures against Iran and have by and large failed to do so," she said.
Tibet support groups have praised Mr Obama for finally scheduling the meeting. Ben Carrdus, a senior researcher at the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet, said the visit brings an "opportunity for the US to reassert its core values of democracy and freedom".
He pointed to recent signs of progress in the Tibet-China dispute, including last month's resumption of talks between the Dalai Lama's envoys and Chinese government officials after a 15-month hiatus. "That momentum is something that the president could certainly lend his weight to," he said.
The Chinese government had ended talks with the Dalai Lama in November 2008 after rejecting his plans for greater autonomy. Earlier that year, widespread protests broke out across Tibet, leading to a brutal Chinese clampdown.
In a press briefing last week, Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, described the Dalai Lama as an "internationally respected religious leader and spokesman for Tibetan rights".
He also was confident the Washington visit would not permanently injure US-China relations.
"We think we have a mature enough relationship with the Chinese that we can agree on issues that are of mutual interest," he said. "We also have a mature enough relationship that we know that two countries on this planet are not always going to agree on everything."
sstanek@thenational.ae
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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Transmission: 10-speed automatic
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Tank warfare
Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks.
“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.
“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”
Quick facts on cancer
- Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
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SPECS
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Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
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Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Results
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Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free
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The%20Roundup
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