Ignoring strong protests from China, US President George W Bush met Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the White House on Thursday.
Bush said America had a "strong commitment to support the preservation of Tibet's unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity, and the protection of the human rights of all Tibetans", according to White House spokesperson Scott McLellan.
The Dalai Lama, after his second visit to the White House in as many years, said his meeting with Bush and the earlier one with Secretary of State Colin Powell had been "very useful".
Both the leaders had shown "their genuine interest and sympathy regarding our problem", he said.
The Tibetan leader said that he was fully committed to the "middle-way approach" in his dialogue with China, "not seeking independence".
McLellan said Bush also declared his strong support for the Dalai Lama's commitment to dialogue with China.
"The president said he would seek ways to encourage China to continue the dialogue on a substantive basis, and expressed his hope that the Chinese government would respond favourably," he said.
In Beijing, the Chinese foreign ministry said the country has lodged a serious complaint with the US over the visit.
"China urges US to stop using the Tibet issue to interfere with China's internal affairs," a spokesman said.
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