The Dalai Lama pointed out that it is not uncommon among candidates to express themselves more freely before their presidency officially begins. Once elected and having the responsibility, they usually tone down their stance on sensitive issues, he noted.
He added that he has always regarded the United States as a "leading nation of the free world," and that he would like to meet President-elect Trump in person for talks, including those on the independence of Tibet, currently occupied by China, which seized the country in a violent overthrow beginning in 1959.
"I think there are some problems to go to United States, so I will go to see the new president," he told reporters.
The move is likely to anger Beijing, as it regards the world's most famous Buddhist monk as a dangerous separatist seeking to re-establish Tibetan independence, while arranging audiences with foreign leaders with the intent of undermining relations with China.
"We hope the international community can further see clearly the anti-China, separatist essence of the Dalai Lama, and appropriately and cautiously handle Tibet-related issues," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing.
The Dalai Lama received a Nobel Prize in 1989 for his ongoing nonviolent campaign to end the Chinese seizure and occupation of the country of Tibet.
