China and India spar over Dalai Lama’s succession
Dalai Lama urges followers to reject any successor chosen by Beijing
- India and China are in a dispute over the succession of the Dalai Lama, who recently announced his reincarnation and stated his successor would be chosen by his Tibetan advisers without Chinese interference.
- The Dalai Lama insists his successor will be born in a "free" country and urges followers to reject any candidate appointed by Beijing, while China asserts it has the sole authority to name his successor.
- India's federal minister, Kiren Rijiju, argued only the Dalai Lama or his institution had the right to decide his succession.
- China's foreign ministry warned India against interfering in its "domestic affairs" regarding Tibet, labelling the Dalai Lama as an "anti-China separatist".
- The dispute highlights China's long-standing efforts to control Tibetan religious affairs, including the 1995 abduction of the Panchen Lama, and impacts the already strained relations between India and China.