U.S. President Barack Obama has denied accusations that his administration is not doing enough to push China on tough issues such as human rights.
Mr. Obama says he will raise the issue when he meets with Chinese President Hu Jintao in China later this month during his first trip to Asia.
In an interview Monday with Reuters news agency the president said he plans to cover a number of issues with Mr. Hu, including climate change, trade and human rights, which some critics say his administration has neglected.
Mr. Obama said his statements have been "entirely consistent" with a strong commitment to human rights.
The president will depart Thursday on his trip to Asia, which will include stops in Shanghai and Beijing.
The president's critics say his decision to delay a meeting with the Dalai Lama until after his visit to China was a slight to the Tibetan spiritual leader.
White House officials say Mr. Obama plans to meet with the Dalai Lama as early as December.
Senior administration officials say it is important for the United States to maintain a relationship with both China and Tibet's government in exile.
In an interview on CNN earlier this month, the exiled Buddhist leader said he understood that Mr. Obama would not meet him "to avoid embarrassment to the Chinese president."
The Chinese government considers the Dalai Lama a separatist and frequently takes retaliatory action against countries whose leaders meet with the exiled leader.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.