China urges concrete U.S. actions to maintain healthy ties after Obama-Dalai mee

BEIJING, Feb. 19 -- China urged the United States early Friday morning to take concrete actions for healthy development of bilateral ties after U.S. President Barack Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement it was regardless of China's repeated solemn representations for the U.S. to obstinately arrange the meeting between Obama and the Dalai Lama.

"The U.S. act grossly violated the norms governing the international relations, and ran counter to the principles set forth in the three China-U.S. joint communiques and the China-U.S. joint statement," he said.

It also went against the repeated commitments by the U.S. government that the U.S. recognizes Tibet as part of China and gives no support to "Tibet independence," he said.

Ma demanded the U.S. seriously consider China's stance, immediately adopt measures to wipe out the baneful impact and stop conniving and supporting anti-China separatist forces that seek "Tibet independence."

The U.S. should stop interfering in China's internal affairs and make concrete actions to maintain healthy and steady growth of China-U.S. relations, he said.

Obama met with the Dalai Lama at the White House Map Room Thursday local time.