The China regime said on Tuesday that it has the “final and undisputed authority” about the reincarnation of Dalai Lama, a month after the Tibetan spiritual leader announce that his succession will be decided only by his intimate circle.
During a press conference called by Beijing to mark the 60th anniversary of the autonomous region of Tibet, Gama Cedain, deputy secretary of the Communist Party committee in the region, said that the reincarnation of Dalai Lama “was never decided exclusively by him” and that the process should follow religious rituals and historical customs “under national laws and with the approval of the central government.”
The authority explained that the succession must be governed by the principle of “search within the country, draw through the golden ballot and central government approval”, a system that Chinese authorities present as part of Tibetan Buddhist traditions, although it has been questioned by Tibetan exiles and international organs by their political and centralized nature.
The statement was made a month after Dalai Lama, on the eve of its 90th anniversary, ensured that its reincarnation will be managed exclusively by Gaden Phodrang Trust, the foundation that manages its spiritual and political legacy.
The Buddhist leader, who has been exiled in India since 1959, said that “no one else has the authority to interfere” in the process, in a direct reference to the Chinese regime, which considers him a separatist.
The issue of the succession of the Lama Dalai has generated diplomatic tensions in recent weeks. China warned India and the United States against any form of “external interference” after the anniversary compliments and the Tibetan leader’s statements about the succession process.
Meanwhile, last week, Czech President Petr Pavel’s visit, who publicly met with Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, was gone as an unusual gesture on the international scene, as he was the first head of state to hold such a meeting.
Pavel’s decision to hold a public meeting with Dalai Lama marks a break with the traditional caution of international leaders and is an unusual gesture in the current diplomatic scenario, in which few governments dared to openly challenge China’s position on Tibet.
The issue was internationalized, especially after the US approved the Tibet Policy and Support Law, which threatens with sanctions any Chinese authority that interferes with the succession process.
