U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry named Sarah Sewall as special coordinator for Tibetan issues, also on Friday. That is the government office specially designed for interference in China's internal affairs.

It is a serious matter, as Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama, which lasted nearly an hour, came at a sensitive time for Sino-U.S. relations. Obama is planning a week-long visit to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines in late April. All those countries have territorial disputes with China, and Obama's administration has come out strongly in support of Japan and the Philippines against China. And it is right now conducting large-scale joint amphibious war games with Japan.

It is common knowledge that the United States strategy of rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific is designed to contain China. This should serve as the background for assessing the meeting between Obama and the Dalai Lama.

The Dalai Lama has strong support among some Americans. A jubilant Robert J Barnett, director of the modern Tibet studies program at Columbia University, declared: "There is a major shift in the international climate. The Americans have come out of the shadows and said that China's assertiveness in maritime issues is disruptive. After many years of being cautious, the United States is speaking out."

That is confounding right with wrong. China has always advocated settling disputes through peaceful bilateral negotiations. It is America's assertive interventionism that is disruptive, not only in the Asia Pacific region, but all over the world.

The White House tried to play down the significance of Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama, claiming that it took place in the Map Room instead of the Oval Office, as a concession to China, and that there would not be serious repercussions.

This was quite wrong. Obama's serious misstep will eventually damage the United States itself.

The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.h5a3.com/opinion/zhaojinglun.htm

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