On April 21, the U.S. President Barack Obama met with the 14th Dalai Lama for the third time after taking office at the Map Room of the White House despite China’s strong appeal. The China Tibet Online gave an exclusive interview of Du Yongbin, researcher of the China Tibetology Research Center.

Du Yongbin said, China’s sovereignty over Tibet touches upon its core interest, and it is a red line which should never be crossed. But why Obama has met with the Dalai Lama for three times? He analyzed that the following three aspects should be taken into consideration:

First, the "Tibet issue" to contain China has been a long-term strategy of the United States. It shows the dual characters in American strategies featuring two “not”s. On the one hand, the U.S. has NOT challenged China’s sovereignty over Tibet for it recognizes that Tibet is a part of China, which also shows that neither the U.S. will recognize the "Tibetan government-in-exile" based in Dharamshala. In his meeting with the Dalai Lama this time, Obama also reaffirmed this standpoint. On the other hand, the U.S. has NOT given up its strategy of playing "Tibet card" and taking advantage of the "Tibet issue" to contain China. Therefore, it is never consistent in its words and deeds, neither has it stopped supporting the Dalai Lama，the "Tibetan government-in-exile" and the exiled Tibetans.

Second, Obama tried to show that the U.S. has been concerned for the "Tibet issue" and supported the "Middle Way Approach" the Dalai Lama proposed in order to appease the Dalai Lama, the "Tibetan government-in-exile" and the exiled Tibetans as well as the Tibet support groups in U.S.

Third, Obama wants to keep the American "Tibet policy" consistent. Du Yongbin reviewed the previous meetings of all the U.S. presidents with the Dalai Lama. He said, since George H. Bush met with the Dalai Lama in the White House in 1991, the U.S. presidents has met with him for 13 times including once for George H. Bush, five times for Bill Clinton, four times for George W. Bush, and three times for Barack Obama.

Du analyzed that in 2009 Obama for the first time broke the usual practice of the American presidents’ meeting with the Dalai Lama after taking office due to China’s concern. But he met him in both 2010 and 2011 and suspended the meetings in 2012 and 2013 owing to its domestic and international dilemma. It was not until 2014 that Obama didn’t meet with the Dalai Lama for the third time after two years' interruption, and for the first time after the Dalai Lama announced his "retirement". It shows that Obama is not always consistent in abiding by the American "Tibet policy".

Fourth, Obama tried to ease the pressure from the "Tibet Gang" in the U.S. Congress and his constituency, and take into consideration the suggestions from the "Tibet Hands" of the think tanks and NGOs. Moreover, he also expects that he would win more votes for himself and the Democratic Party in the upcoming mid-term election in November this year, and take the lead over the Republican in the "Tibet issue" as well as rid his dilemma as a "lame-duck".

Fifth, Obama also tried to promote the American values including human rights，democracy and freedom and show its"Human Rights Diplomacy" and "American Values Diplomacy".

Du assessed that after Obama took office five years ago，the American foreign policy remains conservative instead of being creative. It is clear that during his two terms, the negative impact of American strategies on "Tibet issue" is very limited, or even deteriorating to a certain extent. For example, during the first term of Obama’s Administration, the Special coordinator on "Tibet issues" of the U.S. State Department Maria Otero resigned and this post remained vacant for a year afterwards.

Du Yongbin also pointed out that the pattern and trend the China-U.S. Relations will also influence the words and deeds of the U.S. on the "Tibet issue". With China’s peaceful rise, some foreign media claimed the Chinese foreign policy toward its neighbors as "Go（weiqi）strategy" being adopted on promoting friendly relationship with its neighboring countries has contained the American "Asia-Pacific Re-balance" strategy. Under this circumstance, Obama’s meeting with the Dalai Lama was aimed to stress that the U.S. keeps playing the "Tibet card" as a plot to contain China. However, it is also clear that the U.S. has also taken into account the negative impact of the meeting on the China-U.S. relations since it was the last moment that Washington D.C. was put on the itinerary of the Dalai Lama besides California and Minnesota during his U.S. visit.

Du also said that the timing of the meeting was deliberately made. The Dalai Lama’s visit to the U.S. prior to the Tibetan New Year, or Losar and especially China’s two political sessions in early March was schemed to exert pressure on China by taking advantage of his meetings with Obama in the “sensitive” period. In the meanwhile, the meeting would be expected to "encourage" the Dalai Lama, the "Tibetan government–in-exile" and exiled Tibetans and hint that the U.S. remains their biggest backer. And it would also create a fantasy for them to assume that the U.S. will unswervingly support them to add pressure on China.

As the U.S. takes the lead in the "Tibet issue" in the Western world, the Obama-Dalai Lama meeting would also play a "role model" for and "embolden" other Western politicians. Of course, China’s strong oppositions and counter measures would curtail their meetings. Therefore, the "role model" would produce very limited effects.

Du Yongbin stressed that there has been over 100 years since the imperialists created the "Tibet issue", so it cannot be resolved within a short span due to its complexity. Therefore, China should make a long-term strategy in addressing the "Tibet issue".

During the three decades after China’s reform and opening-up, Tibet has made a leapfrog economic development, social stability, improved people’s life, and ecological development. Therefore, China has the say in resolving the "Tibet issue". We should be confident but not be discouraged by the disturbance of the current incidents occurred.

China’s policy and strategies made and being adopted have shown the wishes of the six million Tibetans and people of all ethnic groups in China, which has deterred the schemes of the United States and the "Tibetan government-in-exile" on the "Tibet issue".

In this sense, Obama’s meeting with the Dalai Lama will only produce restrictive negative effects on the China-U.S. relations as well as to the Tibetan-inhabited areas in China.