US SECY MEETS REPRESENTATIVE OF DALAI LAMA

NEW DELHI: US secretary of state Antony Blinken began his formal engagements in New Delhi on Wednesday by meeting a representative of the Dalai Lama, signalling the Biden administration’s support to the Tibetan cause.

Blinken met briefly with Ngodup Dongchung of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) before his meetings with top Indian leaders. Dongchung presented Blinken with a scarf from the Dalai Lama and conveyed the CTA’s gratitude for the US administration’s backing of the Tibetan cause, people familiar with the developments said on condition of anonymity.

The meeting was one of the most conspicuous contacts between American and Tibetan officials since former president Barack Obama met the Dalai Lama in Washington in 2016 and former CTA head Lobsang Sangay was invited to the White House last November.

The meeting also came two days after US deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman met Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and raised American concerns about human rights, including abuses in Tibet, the anti-democracy crackdown in Hong Kong, and the genocide in Xinjiang.

“Secretary Blinken had an opportunity to meet briefly this morning in New Delhi with a representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Central Tibetan Administration representative Ngodup Dongchung,” a US state department spokesperson said.

Another US official, on condition of anonymity, said: “The Dalai Lama obviously is a globally revered spiritual leader and so the gesture was gratefully received and appreciated.”