Why Is Meeting With The Dalai Lama in India Upsetting For US Lawmakers?

New Delhi: On Wednesday in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, a group of US legislators met with the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.
Beijing was displeased with the meeting and on Tuesday urged the US to "refrain from any form of contact with the Dalai clique" and "fully recognise the anti-China and separatist nature of it."
The seven members of the bipartisan American lawmakers are traveling to India to meet with the Dalai Lama, the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

The US has historically defended the Tibetan people's freedom to exercise their religion and culture, and it has charged China with violating such rights in the isolated Himalayan area that shares a border with India.

This month, the US House of Representatives passed a bipartisan resolution that seeks to force Beijing to resume negotiations with Tibetan leaders, which have been on hold since 2010. The goal is to reach a negotiated agreement on Tibet and encourage China to address Tibetan aspirations regarding their historical, cultural, religious, and linguistic identity.
The two authors of the "Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act," also known as the "Resolve Tibet Act," as well as Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the US House of Representatives, are part of the delegation.

The delegation also had meetings with representatives of the exiled Tibetan administration, which is based in India.
The Dalai Lama, who was born in 1935 as Lhamo Thondup, was recognized at the age of two as the reincarnation of his predecessor and was crowned as the 14th Dalai Lama in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital.