Obama to welcome Dalai Lama at White House

Washington: US president Barack Obama is slated to welcome Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday at the White House.

The White House announced the meeting will take place behind closed doors in the Map Room, EFE news reported.

Barack Obama and Dalai Lama

The Tibetan religious leader is currently in Washington where he met with both Democratic and Republican members of Congress and gave a speech at the US Institute of Peace which began with one minute of silence for the mass shooting victims in Orlando.

"As a figure revered by Tibetans and people around the world, His Holiness (the Dalai Lama) reminds us of our great responsibility to act to safeguard human rights, promote equality and protect the environment," the Democratic Leader of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said in a statement.

The White House has barred news media coverage of the meeting,

However, the Chinese government has warned the US that it hopes that the visits of both the Dalai Lama and Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen does not jeopardise Washington's support of the One-China policy.

"We hope the US government fulfils its commitments ... and not send wrong signals to those who attempt to divide China," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.