President Bush will this week become the first sitting US President to appear publicly with the Dalai Lama, a move that has alarmed China at a time of increased tensions between Tibetan monks and Beijing.

Mr Bush will also play host to Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader at the White House tomorrow before attending a ceremony on Wednesday where the Dalai Lama will be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the US Congress’s highest civilian honour.

In their two previous meetings, Mr Bush – like other presidents – met the Dalai Lama in private to avoid offending China, which accuses him of being a separatist intent on winning Tibetan independence from Beijing.

The Dalai Lama’s congressional award and US visit have been condemned by Beijing, which accused Congress of “interfering in China’s internal affairs”. Last month Beijing warned Germany that bilateral ties had been damaged after Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, met the Dalai Lama in Berlin. He also met John Howard, the Australian Prime Minister, in June.

Mr Bush will make a short speech at the medal ceremony on Wednesday, an appearance that represents a delicate diplomatic balancing act for the President. He is keen to court China as an economic partner but has also made freedom and democracy a significant theme of his presidency.

Last month he warned Hu Jintao, the Chinese President, at the Apec meeting in Sydney that he planned to attend the ceremony, in an attempt to defuse Chinese anger. At the same meeting, Mr Bush also told Mr Hu that he would attend the Olympic Games in Beijing next year.

The White House has also played down the significance of Mr Bush’s attendance at the award ceremony, saying that he has appeared at every other Congressional Gold Medal event. In his brief speech, Mr Bush will praise the Dalai Lama as a “great spiritual leader”, but will also state that he is not seeking Tibetan independence.

Dana Perino, Mr Bush’s spokesman, said that Mr Bush understood “that the Chinese have concerns about this”. The Dalai Lama’s US visit comes amid growing tensions between Beijing and Tibetan monks after China introduced new laws on reincarnation, an important element of Buddhist faith. Beijing said last month that living Buddhas are no longer allowed to be reincarnated without permission from the atheist Communist Government.

Previous recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal include Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela. Tony Blair was awarded it four years ago but never collected it because Downing Street believed the ceremony would have reinforced his politically damaging relationship with Mr Bush.

After the award, the Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in India since 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, will make a speech on the West Lawn of Congress.

A unique decoration

— The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian award in the US

— It was first given to George Washington, in 1776, and since then there have been about 300 awarded

— The presentation of each medal has to be approved by a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives and in the Senate

— Once the award is approved, the US Mint is commissioned to produce a unique design, based on the achievements of the individual

— Past medal designs have included a scene from the Snoopy cartoons for Charles Schultz, their creator, and a sprinter, for Jesse Owens, the four-time Olympic gold medallist

Source: Congressional Gold Medal

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