China again claims right to choose next Dalai Lama. Why Tibetan Buddhists object

China has once again asserted that it will have a role in deciding the next Dalai Lama. 

Just days after the Dalai Lama celebrated his birthday on July 6, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Yu Jing said on Thursday that the title "Dalai Lama" was formally recognised by the central government in 1578.

She said Qing Emperor Shunzhi presented the Fifth Dalai Lama with a golden certificate and golden seal in 1653, establishing the practice that every Dalai Lama must receive formal approval from the central government.

Yu Jing also referred to the Golden Urn system introduced by Qing Emperor Qianlong in 1793. She said it became the legally established method for selecting reincarnations of major Living Buddhas, including the Dalai Lama.

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"The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must comply with religious rituals and historical conventions, and be carried out in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations. The Chinese central government approves the succession of each Dalai Lama in accordance with these principles," she said.

The Chinese envoy also described the Potala Palace as "the traditional winter residence of the Dalai Lama" and "an enduring symbol of China's rich Tibetan cultural heritage."

Why Tibetans Disagree

The current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, who has lived in exile in India for decades, has repeatedly rejected Beijing's claim.

China says the successor must be selected under Chinese law and approved by the central government. However, the Dalai Lama says it is a religious matter that only Tibetan Buddhists can decide.

Last year, the Dalai Lama made it clear that the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, has the sole authority to identify his successor.

"I hereby reiterate that the Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority to recognise the future reincarnation; no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter," he said in a detailed statement on May 21, 2025. 

The translated statement was shared by his office on July 2, 2025.  

The Trust, he said, would consult senior Tibetan Buddhist leaders and follow long-established religious traditions before recognising the next Dalai Lama.

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Why China And The Dalai Lama Differ On The Golden Urn

China cites the Golden Urn system as the historical basis for approving reincarnations.

But the Dalai Lama has questioned that system, saying "it lacked any spiritual quality".

In a detailed 2011 statement, he said the system was actually used only once to recognise a Dalai Lama. He further said that among the reincarnations of the Panchen Lama, apart from the Eighth and the Ninth, there had been no instances of this method being employed. "This system was imposed by the Manchus, but Tibetans had no faith in it because it lacked any spiritual quality."

The Dalai Lama then explained that reincarnation is a phenomenon which should take place either through the voluntary choice of the person concerned or at least on the strength of his or her karma, merit, and prayers. Therefore, he added, the person who reincarnates has sole legitimate authority over where and how he or she takes rebirth and how that reincarnation is to be recognised. 

"It is a reality that no one else can force the person concerned, or manipulate him or her," the spiritual leader said in a clear message for Beijing. "It is particularly inappropriate for Chinese communists, who explicitly reject even the idea of past and future lives, let alone the concept of reincarnate Tulkus, to meddle in the system of reincarnation and especially the reincarnations of the Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas." 

"Such brazen meddling contradicts their own political ideology and reveals their double standards," he continued. "Should this situation continue in the future, it will be impossible for Tibetans and those who follow the Tibetan Buddhist tradition to acknowledge or accept it."