Was Obama Right to Meet with the Dalai Lama?

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President Obama met with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, Thursday. According to The New York Times, the two men discussed "democracy, freedom, and human values." China, as you might have guessed, is less than thrilled, and experts predict that Chinese President Hu Jintao might exact retribution by canceling his April meeting with Obama-international relations being basically on par with The Hills, it seems. From The Times:

Chinese officials demanded-in vain-that the United States reverse its "wrong decision" for Mr. Obama to meet with the Dalai Lama. And while the White House has taken pains to avoid the appearance that this is a meeting between two heads of state-Thursday's meeting, for instance, took place in the White House Map Room, and not the Oval Office-the administration also announced that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton would also meet with the Dalai Lama later at the State Department.

You'll remember that although it's customary for American presidents to defer to China by refraining from meeting with the Dalai Lama, George W. Bush bestowed a Congressional Gold Medal upon the spiritual leader in 2007.What do you think, was Obama right to meet with him?