China has urged India to refrain from using Tibet-related issues to interfere in its internal affairs, reiterating Beijing’s firm stance on the succession of the Dalai Lama.
The response came a day after Indian Minister of Parliamentary and Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, stated that only the Dalai Lama and the trust he established have the authority to identify his successor as the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism—directly opposing Beijing’s claim that the process must adhere to Chinese law and tradition.
“We hope India can fully recognise the high sensitivity of issues related to Tibet and clearly understand the anti-China and separatist nature of the 14th Dalai Lama,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Friday.
“India should honour its commitments on Tibet-related matters, exercise caution in word and deed, stop using Tibet to interfere in China’s domestic affairs, and avoid harming the development of China-India relations.”
Rijiju's statement, made ahead of the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday celebrations in Dharamsala this Sunday, was unusually direct.
“No one has the right to interfere or decide who the successor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be,” he was quoted as saying by the media. “Only he or his institution—the Gaden Phodrang Trust—has the authority to make that decision. His followers believe this deeply.”
India has hosted the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamsala since 1959, when the spiritual leader fled to India following a failed `uprising' against Chinese rule. Though India formally recognised Tibet as part of China in 2003, Tibetan issues remain a sensitive topic in bilateral relations.
Tensions between the two neighbours peaked after a deadly border clash in 2020 but have gradually eased. Earlier this year, Beijing allowed Indian pilgrims to visit the Tibet Autonomous Region after a five-year suspension—seen as a small but significant step towards normalisation. The first group of pilgrims crossed the mountainous border last month.
Beijing has repeatedly maintained that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must comply with what it describes as “strict religious rituals and historical conventions”—including the use of the centuries-old “golden urn” system and approval by the central government.
“The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must follow these principles and be handled in accordance with national laws and regulations,” the spokeswoman said, reiterating China’s position for the second time in a week.
She also noted that the 14th Dalai Lama was recognised through this same process in 1940, with approval from the then central government of China.
The Dalai Lama, however, reaffirmed his position on Wednesday, declaring that only the Gaden Phodrang Trust has the legitimate authority to identify his reincarnation—and that the successor could be born outside China.
“I hereby reiterate that the Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority to recognise the future reincarnation. No one else has the right to interfere in this matter,” he said in a statement.
Beijing swiftly rejected his succession plan just hours later.
