China, explained.

Buddhist monks gather to celebrate the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday in McLeod Ganj, near Dharamsala, India, on 6 July 2025 (Niharika Kulkarni/AFP via Getty Images)

The Dalai Lama’s succession: A moment for global solidarity

China’s attempts to control the selection of Tibet’s next spiritual leader need a response from the international community.

Lisa Singh

25 July 20254 min read

The Dalai Lama’s statement this month that his successor would be selected by the traditional process of reincarnation has heartened the millions of followers around the world celebrating his 90th birthday. It has also attracted global attention to Tibet’s unresolved independent status and China’s authoritarian legitimacy.

His statement reiterated a 2011 affirmation that the process to recognise the next Dalai Lama must rest exclusively with the Gaden Phodrang Trust – the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Beijing swiftly rejected the plan and asserted the Chinese Communist Party’s position that the Chinese central government is the only body that can name a Tibetan leader. “The Dalai Lama’s reincarnation must follow the principles of domestic recognition, the ‘golden urn’ process, and approval by the central government, in line with religious traditions and laws,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.

This interference is not new. The Chinese government has long sought control over Tibet, ever since its initial bid for independence in 1913, and ignored the cultural and spiritual autonomy of the Tibetan people.

One only needs to revisit the events of 1995 to understand the history. After the death of the Panchen Lama, the second-most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama chose a young boy as successor. Three days after the announcement, the child was forcibly disappeared by the Chinese government who installed their own Panchen Lama. The boy and his family have never been seen again.

The Dalai Lama’s image remains prohibited within Tibet, Buddhist monasteries have been destroyed, distributing pamphlets about the Dalai Lama is forbidden, political prisoners remain incarcerated, Buddhist teachers and religious leaders require permission to practice, and local Tibetan language is delegitimised.

For Tibet, much now depends on how other governments react to the succession process of the next Dalai Lama and the political pressure China is likely to exert.

China has also reignited border disputes with India, unilaterally redrawing maps claiming Ladakh to be part of China, altering the status quo with India on the Line of Actual Control. What the Dalai Lama succession plan means for India’s relationship with China remains to be seen. Since 1959, India has provided a home and protection to more than one hundred thousand Tibetans across successive Indian governments.

It was on 31 March 1959 that the Dalai Lama and his followers crossed into India at the Khenzimane Pass in Arunachal Pradesh following the violent crackdown during the Tibetan Uprising and China’s occupation of Tibet. The Indian government under its first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru announced it had granted the Dalai Lama political asylum.

It has long been debated whether that was a sound strategic decision in the context of India–China relations. It became a flashpoint for worsening ties that eventually led to the Sino-Indian War of 1962. Nehru himself faced criticism from within his cabinet for “antagonising China”. Yet he defended the decision on “moral and humanitarian” grounds. In a parliamentary statement in October 1959, Nehru admitted, “very probably, the Tibetan developments have angered and soured the minds of the government in China… And perhaps they have reacted strongly to what we have done, I mean, to the asylum we have given to the Dalai Lama”.

Sixty-six years later, India continues to support and provide a home to exiled Tibetans. Yet after the Dalai Lama’s recent statement, the Indian government both reiterated its support for freedom of religion while simultaneously highlighting that it didn’t take a position on matters of faith or religion. Meanwhile, one Indian government minister stated that “reincarnation has to be decided by the established conventions and desire of the present Dalai Lama”, and two other ministers attended the 90th birthday celebrations.

The ongoing ties between India and Tibet stand in stark contrast to the longstanding Chinese government strategy of manipulating religious narratives with the aim of asserting political authority over Tibet’s spiritual leadership. For Tibet, much now depends on how other governments react to the succession process of the next Dalai Lama and the political pressure China is likely to exert. The United States has legislated for the right of Tibetans to exercise their choice, and numerous world leaders and politicians (including myself) have stood with the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan parliament-in-exile to recognise the rights of Tibetans.

For the international community, this should be seen as an opportunity to stand with the Tibetan people. Global reactions matter and can determine the future legitimacy of Tibetan autonomy. Attempts to politicise religious succession erode not only the rights of Tibetans but the broader principles of religious freedom. The decision regarding the next Dalai Lama belongs to the Tibetan spiritual tradition and its followers.

As the Dalai Lama himself once said, “Reincarnation is a religious matter.” The world must ensure that it stays that way.

About the author

Lisa Singh

Lisa Singh is a former Australian Senator and was the first woman of South Asian heritage to be elected to the Australian Parliament. She is currently the CEO of the Australia India Institute at the University of Melbourne.

Topics

China India