Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Ken Wills
Reuters
February 11, 2010

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.