China clashes with Dalai Lama, insists on picking his successor

China condemned the Dalai Lama for claiming his successor would be born outside China. The foreign ministry insisted only Beijing could decide the next Tibetan Buddhist leader. Officials called the Dalai Lama a “political exile” and dismissed his views.

The Dalai Lama, now 88, fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against China’s rule. He now lives in India and advocates Tibetan autonomy. In his new book Voice for the Voiceless, he stated his successor would be born in a “free world,” outside Chinese control.

China rejected his claim, asserting that reincarnation follows state regulations. “The name of the Dalai Lama was historically identified by the central government,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said. Beijing insists it will appoint the next Dalai Lama, as it did with the Panchen Lama in 1995.

The Dalai Lama has repeatedly said any successor named by China would not be legitimate. He argues Tibetans alone should decide their religious leadership. In his book, he wrote, “The Tibetan people’s aspiration for freedom cannot be crushed forever through oppression.”

China views the Dalai Lama as a separatist threatening national unity. His book, along with his past statements, fuels tensions between Beijing and the Tibetan exile community. Meanwhile, Tibet remains under strict Chinese control, with heavy surveillance and restrictions on religious practices.