A delegation of US lawmakers, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on Wednesday met exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh. In her speech, Pelosi praised the Dalai Lama’s enduring legacy and took a dig at Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“…His Holiness the Dalai Lama will live long with his wisdom, tradition, compassion, purity of spirit and message of love and his legacy will live on forever. But you, the president of China, you will be gone and no one will give you credit for anything,” Nancy Pelosi said.

She added, “The Dalai Lama would not like me saying that when I criticize the Chinese government, he says, let’s pray for Nancy to get rid of her negative attitude. I hope he will allow me to say today that change is coming.”

The meeting of US lawmakers with the Dalai Lama underlines Washington’s support for Tibetan rights. There was sharp criticism from Beijing,

The visit has further escalated tensions between the US and China, which are already strained due to various geopolitical issues. China, which considers the Dalai Lama a separatist, has strongly opposed the meeting.

The seven-member US delegation is visiting India in the wake of the recent passage of the “Tibet Reconciliation Act” by the US House of Representatives, which aims to press Beijing to resume talks with Tibetan leaders stalled since 2010 and address Tibetan aspirations for historical, cultural, religious and linguistic identity.

The Dalai Lama was born Lhamo Thondup in 1935, was recognised as the reincarnation of his predecessor at the age of two and was enthroned in 1940. After a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, he fled to India, where he has been living in exile in Dharamsala. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

The issue of the Dalai Lama’s successor remains controversial. Beijing insists on its right to approve the next Dalai Lama, a move seen as an attempt to consolidate its control over Tibet. However, the Dalai Lama says the choice rests entirely with the Tibetan people and has suggested his successor could be found in India.

Ahead of US lawmakers’ meeting with the Dalai Lama, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson urged the US to “fully recognize the anti-China and separatist nature of the Dalai clique” and refrain from “any form of contact with it.”