Dalai Lama turn 90, succession issue will be decided by him only, China has no role to play

The Dalai Lama

With the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism’s spiritual leader, soon to turn 90, the issue of how to identify his successor, traditionally viewed as his reincarnation, is a key issue facing Tibet’s government-in-exile. ThoughChina which forcibly and illegally captured and took control of the Himalayan country more than 70 years ago, keeps poking its nose in the affair. Indians will never permit any such interference and only His Holiness will be chosing the next successor.
While Communist China keeps claiming that it has the sole authority to determine the successor, the current 14th Dalai Lama, who escaped to India in 1959. Tibetans all over the Wirld has even blatantly stated that they will not accept anyone chosen as his reincarnation by the Communists. China cannot usurp this right after having invaded the Tibetan homeland.
Amid speculation that the Dalai Lama could identify his successor while still alive, potentially through a process of recognition based on “karmic” connection, the president of the Tibetan government-in-exile has said that selection after the spiritual leader’s demise on the basis of reincarnation remains the more likely scenario.
“I cannot say for sure, but what we have listened to (from) His Holiness and what has been going around so far indicate (the successor’s selection would) more likely (be) by reincarnation” than by identification by the spiritual leader, Penpa Tsering said in a recent interview in Dharamsala, India.
Dalai Lama has also said in the past that his successor could be a woman.

Penpa Tsering, president of the Tibetan government-in-exile, gives an interview in Dharamsala, northern India, on June 18, 2025

Tsering said the Dalai Lama will make an announcement in a video message at a meeting of representatives of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries on July 2, four days before he turns 90, although he said he did not know whether the succession issue would be touched on.

The current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, assumed the role in 1950 after being identified as the reincarnation of his predecessor when he was 2 years old. He exiled himself to India soon after the failed Tibetan freedom struggle against the Chinese invaders in 1959. He later established a government-in-exile in Dharamsala.

Communist China considers the current Dalai Lama as a” separatist” who aims to free Tibet from ChiTib. However no matter what, Tibetans will keep taking steps to preserve their religion, culture and language. Also one day Tibet will surely liberate itself from vile Chinese occupation.

In 1989, the Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize for advocating peaceful solutions to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of the Tibetan people.

Formal talks between Tibet and China were last held in 2010. Tsering, the second president of the government-in-exile who took office in 2021, said the two sides have since only used unofficial channels to communicate.

He said he believes that China’s policy on Tibet an Occupied country and other ethnic minorities inside China itself revolves around “eliminating the identity of the nationalities” of such nations / groups.

“That’s why they are striking the very root of every nationality’s identity, including Tibetan, by having this colonial style — holding schools where a lot of restrictions are imposed on teaching the native language,” he added.

Tsering was recently on a month-long tour to officially visit the United States, Canada and Japan to discuss the Tibetan cause.

While Dalai Lama had a knee surgery in the United States in June last year, Tsering said the spiritual leader is in good health.

“His Holiness keeps saying ‘I will live for two decades (from now) and more and live up to 113 years of age,'” Tsering said. “There are also prophecies that he will live very long.”