27 September 2006
President Bush passes Dalai Lama medal bill
President George W. Bush signed into law a bill to present to the Dalai Lama a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honour bestowed by the U.S. Congress. The decision to honour the Tibetan leader caused outrage in Beijing when the House of Representatives passed the measure two weeks ago. At the time, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang denounced the decision, which he said "seriously interferes with China's internal affairs and damages China-U.S. relations". The proposal to honour the Dalai Lama was co-sponsored by 73 of the 100 senators. It said the Dalai Lama "has struggled for half a century to better the lives of the Tibetan people".