HONG KONG — A Chinese official warned Wednesday that a scheduled meeting between President Obama and the Dalai Lama in Washington would “undermine mutual trust and cooperation’’ between the two countries.

Hours later, Obama met with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader at the White House as planned.

Beijing routinely pressures foreign leaders not to meet the Dalai Lama, whom it accuses of seeking Tibet’s independence from China. The Dalai Lama, however, says he merely wants to protect Tibetans and their homeland’s identity.

“Tibet affairs are part of China’s internal affairs, and no foreign country has the right to interfere,’’ Lu Kang, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Wednesday. He accused the Dalai Lama of “long conducting anti-China splittist activities on the world stage under the cloak of religion.’’

Foreign leaders have increasingly declined to meet with the Dalai Lama, fearing retaliation from Beijing. China protested and canceled high-level visits to Britain after Prime Minister David Cameron met with him in 2012. When the Dalai Lama visited Britain again three years later, Cameron avoided him.

US officials have continued to meet with the Dalai Lama, though the White House avoids turning such exchanges into high-profile affairs. Obama has met the Dalai Lama on multiple occasions during his administration, most recently in 2014. In 2015, both men attended the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington.

Obama usually met with the Dalai Lama in the Map Room of the White House — as he did on Wednesday — rather than the Oval Office, where Obama typically receives heads of state.

Reporters were not allowed access to document any part of the meeting, although the official White House photographer released an image of Obama warmly gripping the arms of the Dalai Lama, who promptly shared the picture on his Instagram account.

The setting reflected that the visit was “personal’’ rather than official, said Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, since the Dalai Lama is not a foreign government leader.