China’s Vice President Xi Jinping is scheduled to meet with President Obama in Washington today. His visit comes at a time when the Obama administration is stepping up military ties to several of China’s neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnam. On Monday, members of Students for a Free Tibet rallied in Washington.

Tenzin Dorjee: “I want to send a message to President Obama that he should put the strongest pressure he can on Xi Jinping and seize this opportunity to urge the Chinese leadership to stop the atrocities in Tibet right now.”

Meanwhile, another Tibetan Buddhist monk in China has set himself on fire to protest China’s rule over Tibet. At least 20 Tibetans have set fire to themselves over the past year.