Study : Countries that meet with the Dalai Lama lose 8.1 percent in exports to China . Beijing , China ( CNN ) -- Countries whose top leadership meet with the Dalai Lama , Tibet 's exiled spiritual leader , lose on average 8.1 percent in exports to China in the two years following the meeting , according to a recent study . Effect lasts for two years following the meeting with the exiled spiritual leader . The `` Dalai Lama Effect '' began in 2002 when President Hu Jintao took office . In 2009, a study by the World Bank found that countries that met with the Tibetan Buddhist monk lost an average of 7.8 percentage points on their trade balance with China over the next 2 - 3 years.
Study : Countries that meet with the Dalai Lama lose 8.1 percent in exports to China . Effect lasts for two years following the meeting with the exiled spiritual leader . The `` Dalai Lama Effect '' began in 2002 when President Hu Jintao took office . In 2009, a study by the World Bank found that countries that met with the Tibetan Buddhist monk lost an average of 7.8 percentage points on their trade balance with China over the next 2 - 3 years.