US President Barack Obama has had a first public meeting with the Dalai Lama, hailing the Tibetan religious leader as a “good friend.” Even before the encounter took place, Beijing had expressed its disquiet. Obama greeted the Dalai Lama at a National Prayer Breakfast in the US capital on Thursday, marking the pair’s first ever public encounter. As the Tibetan spiritual leader was formally introduced to the audience, the US president smiled and clasped his hands together in a bow-like gesture, before offering a more informal wave to the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. The Dalai Lama gave a wave of...