US president Barack Obama met with the Dalai Lama on Friday, sparking expression of displeasure from the Chinese government.

It was a private White House meeting for Obama with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, that lasted about an hour.

When the meeting was announced on Thursday, China had demanded for it to be cancelled. now that the meeting has taken place, China is asking why the White House ignored Beijing's warnings that the meeting would damage ties.

On Friday night, China's vice foreign minister, Zhang Yesui, summoned Daniel Kritenbrink, charge d'affaires of the US embassy in China.

"The United States must take concrete actions to gain the trust of the Chinese government and people," Zhang said.

"We are committed to a constructive relationship with China in which we work together to solve regional and global problems," White House spokesman Jay Carney said, pointing out that Obama and other US presidents had previously met with the Tibetan leader.

Notably the White House did not allow photographers access to the meeting, though it released its own photo of the meeting.

"We don't have photographers in every meeting the president has," Carney informed reporters.

China has been referring to the Dalai Lama, who fled to India after a failed uprising in 1959, as a "wolf in sheep's clothing" who seeks to use violent methods to establish an independent Tibet.

On his part, the Dalai Lama says that he only wants genuine autonomy for Tibet and denies advocating violence.

Human rights groups have been saying that China tramples on the rights of Tibetans and employs brutal methods to enforce its rule.

"We're concerned about continuing tensions and the deteriorating human rights situation in Tibetan areas of China," Carney told reporters.

"We will continue to urge the Chinese government to resume dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives without pre-conditions as a means to reduce tensions."

US secretary of state John Kerry said on Friday that to encourage those talks, he had named one of his officials, Sarah Sewall, as a special coordinator for Tibetan Issues.