US President Barack Obama met the Dalai Lama for the third time on Friday at the White House.

National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden reiterated that the US recognizes Tibet to be part of China, but at the same time she emphasized US support for "human rights and religious freedom in China."

It is another world-class show of playing dumb. So far, China has found no effective way to counter such acts.

With China growing stronger, old practices such as US presidents meeting the Dalai Lama or selling arms to Taiwan are having less impact. But still, Friday's meeting embarrassed China.  Beijing had to protest, but the protest did not make much difference.

There are tens of thousands of Tibetans in exile, among whom about 1,000 are actively seeking Tibetan independence. But the Dalai clique has been on the decline and is seeing an increasingly unclear future. They are grasping at the West for support.

For the US, the Dalai Lama is an easy card to play - not as powerful as before - still, it is a card to deal with China.

The instant effect of the meeting between Obama and the Dalai Lama is nothing but some loss of face for China. It only serves as a reminder for the Chinese people to get a better understanding of what the US is.

China and the US are trying to build a new type of relationship between two big countries. But Obama's repeated meetings with the Dalai Lama have hurt this hard-won consent to build mutual trust between China and the US.

Obama has given the Chinese a hard time again. But as long as China keeps its momentum in growing stronger, China will be more resourceful in dealing with such situations.

The Dalai clique has been living in an out-of-date self-deceiving fantasy. Western leaders have met with the Dalai Lama one after another, but the influence of the Dalai clique continues to dwindle. Except some funding, Western countries have nothing to give them.

Whether it is effective or not, China must protest Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama. This is the declaration of our stance.

The US is clear that in the political game over the Dalai Lama, time and justice stand with China.

The sudden meeting between Obama and the Dalai Lama at a time of complex Sino-US relations will only irritate China and make the Chinese pessimistic about the US' sincerity in developing positive relations with China.

Mid-term elections will take place in the US later this year. It will be ridiculous for Obama if he believes meeting the Dalai Lama can help his party win a couple more votes.