China says its approval must for Dalai Lama’s successor

Beijing, November 10

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China on Friday asserted that any successor to 88-year-old Dalai Lama should be from within the country and his heir needed to have its approval, as it projected the strategically-located Tibet region as the gateway to South Asia by highlighting the infrastructure development close to the Indian border.

All “reincarnated Tibetan living Buddhas, including Dalai Lamas and Panchen Rinpoches, must be looked for within the country and receive approval from the central government,” a white paper unveiled here by the Chinese government said.

China, which refers to Tibet as Xizang, is increasingly anxious as the octogenarian Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in Dharamsala in India, will take the lead in appointing his successor, which could have a profound spiritual impact in the Himalayan region.