The White House meticulously planned the encounter in hopes of containing Chinese protests, inviting the exiled Tibetan leader to a private area of the executive mansion rather than the Oval Office and not allowing cameras inside.

But the 74-year-old monk took the unusual step of walking out of the White House residence to mingle with reporters, telling them he was "very happy" with Obama's support and even engaging in a playful snowball fight.

The White House later put out a picture of the two Nobel Peace Prize laureates conversing in the 45-minute meeting and issued a statement in the name of spokesman Robert Gibbs backing the Dalai Lama's goals.

"The president stated his strong support for the preservation of Tibet's unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity and the protection of human rights for Tibetans in the People's Republic of China," Gibbs said.

"The president commended the Dalai Lama's 'middle way' approach, his commitment to nonviolence and his pursuit of dialogue with the Chinese government," Gibbs said.

The Dalai Lama, who fled his homeland for India in 1959, advocates a "middle way" of seeking greater rights for Tibetans while accepting Chinese rule.

But Beijing insists that the Dalai Lama is insincere and accuses the Buddhist monk, who has built a global following through his spiritual lectures, of plotting to split up China.

In a pre-dawn response, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu demanded that the United States take immediate steps to "eliminate the pernicious impact" of the White House meeting.

"The US act grossly violated basic norms of international relations and the principles" set out in joint statements under which the United States pledged to respect Chinese sovereignty, Ma said in a statement.

The meeting "also went against the US government's repeated acknowledgement that Tibet is part of China and that it does not support Tibet independence," he said.

But some US-based analysts believe China's protests may be geared more for domestic consumption and that its leaders see the benefits of cooperation between the world's largest developed and developing nations.

Just hours before the meeting with the Dalai Lama, the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier arrived for a visit in Hong Kong. China had vowed to cut off military ties after the Obama administration last month agreed to sell 6.4 billion dollars in weapons to nationalist-ruled Taiwan.

Obama had put off key steps that would anger China in his first year in office, hoping to start off on the right foot and work together on issues ranging from reviving the global economy to fighting climate change.

Obama did not meet with the Dalai Lama last year ahead of the president's first trip to Beijing. With Thursday's encounter, the Dalai Lama has now met every sitting US president since George H. W. Bush in 1991.

The Dalai Lama also met Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and was greeted across Washington by hundreds of flag-waving Tibetans who chanted, "Long live the Dalai Lama!" and "Thank you, President Obama!"

Meeting reporters after his meetings, the Dalai Lama reiterated his stance that Tibet is part of China.

"We are fully committed to remain within the People's Republic of China, for our own interest," he said. "Tibet is a landlocked country and, materially, very, very backwards."

Asked how China would react to his meeting with Obama, the Dalai Lama said in English with a hearty laugh: "I can almost be certain some negative, some criticism, some scold."

The Dalai Lama supported efforts by the United States to seek friendly relations with the emerging power, voicing understanding for Obama's decision not to see him last year.

"It is wrong when some say, contain China. It is wrong," he said.

But the Dalai Lama said it was important to encourage the billion-plus nation to become more open and to curb censorship.

"China eventually should be such a superpower, which brings happiness, satisfaction, calm," he said.

He did not specify how he expected Obama to support Tibetans, saying: "I think time will tell."

"Fifty years have passed. We have never given up hope," he said.

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