'No Right To Represent': China Rejects Dalai Lama's Claim On Successor, Says Beijing Will Decide

Last Updated:March 11, 2025, 16:31 IST

China stated that the Dalai Lama's lineage, status, and title have been determined by the government in China for "hundreds of years".

The current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was identified as the reincarnation of his predecessor at the age of two. (PTI file photo)

China on Tuesday said that the Dalai Lama is a “political exile" with “no right to represent the Tibetan people," asserting that it will choose his successor when the time comes.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning made these remarks in response to the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader’s claim in his new book that his successor would be born outside China.

At a press briefing, Ning said that the Dalai Lama’s lineage, status, and title have been determined by the government in China for “hundreds of years".

“The reincarnations of living Buddhas, including the Dalai Lama, should abide by national laws and regulations, follow religious rituals… (and be subject to) the approval of the central government," she noted.

Ning further stressed that the current Dalai Lama’s religious status and title were also determined by “(China’s) central government".

“The 14th Dalai Lama himself was identified in accordance with religious rituals and historical conventions, and this was submitted to the then central government to approve the succession," the Chinese spokeswoman stated.

What Is The Book About?

In his new book “Voice for the Voiceless“, the Dalai Lama expresses his belief that Tibetans worldwide want the institution of the Dalai Lama to continue after his death.

This marks the first time he has said that his successor would be born outside China, describing this place as the “free world." Previously, he had only mentioned the possibility of reincarnating outside Tibet, possibly in India, where he lives in exile.

“Since the purpose of a reincarnation is to carry on the work of the predecessor, the new Dalai Lama will be born in the free world so that the traditional mission of the Dalai Lama – that is, to be the voice for universal compassion, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and the symbol of Tibet embodying the aspirations of the Tibetan people – will continue," the Dalai Lama writes.

Tibetan tradition holds that the soul of a senior Buddhist monk is reincarnated in the body of a child following their death. The current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was identified as the reincarnation of his predecessor at the age of two.

The 14th Dalai Lama fled to India at the age of 23, along with thousands of other Tibetans, after a failed uprising against Chinese Communist rule in 1959.

The Dalai Lama, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his efforts to preserve the Tibetan cause, writes in his new book that he remains committed to the fight for Tibetan freedom.

The book is being released in the United States on Tuesday by William Morrow and in the UK by HarperNonFiction, with other countries, including India, set to follow.

The Dalai Lama has also indicated that he will reveal details of his succession around his 90th birthday in July.

(With inputs from agencies)

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News world 'No Right To Represent': China Rejects Dalai Lama's Claim On Successor, Says Beijing Will Decide