Tibetan President-in-exile Penpa Tsering has firmly rejected China’s attempts to politicise the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, declaring that Tibetans will never accept Beijing’s interference in a deeply spiritual and cultural process.
Reacting to the Dalai Lama’s reaffirmation that the Gaden Phodrang Trust alone holds the authority to decide on his successor, Tsering said, “We strongly condemn China’s usage of the reincarnation issue for political gain and reiterate that Tibetans, both inside and outside Tibet, will never accept such manipulation.”
Tsering accused the Chinese government of systematically trying to erase Tibetan identity by attacking its language and religious traditions, the core of its cultural heritage.
“All of China’s policies and programs in Tibet today are aimed at destroying Tibetan identity. Tibetan language and religion are being targeted as part of Xi Jinping’s assimilationist agenda,” he said.
He also confirmed that in response to a flood of appeals—from Tibetan communities worldwide, Buddhist regions like Mongolia and the Himalayas, and global supporters—the 14th Dalai Lama has agreed to continue the institution of the Dalai Lama, especially in light of his 90th birthday celebrations.
“In his boundless compassion, the Dalai Lama accepted the requests to carry forward this sacred institution, which is vital for the wellbeing of all sentient beings and Buddhists across the world,” Tsering said.
Earlier, the Dalai Lama reiterated that only the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the office he established, has the exclusive right to oversee the process of identifying his reincarnation.
He emphasized that the 2011 statement still holds: “The responsibility for recognising the next Dalai Lama lies solely with the Gaden Phodrang Trust. They will consult the heads of Tibetan Buddhist traditions and the oath-bound Dharma Protectors who are inseparably linked to the Dalai Lama lineage and carry out the search and recognition process accordingly.”
While Beijing insists that the reincarnation must comply with Chinese law, the Tibetan leadership in exile remains defiant, arguing that the spiritual process cannot be dictated by a government with no legitimacy in Tibetan religious affairs.
The standoff over the Dalai Lama’s succession remains a major flashpoint in Sino-Tibetan relations, with Tibetans and their global allies vowing to protect their spiritual traditions from political appropriation.