New Delhi : Tensions between Asia’s two largest powers have reignited, this time over a deeply symbolic and politically charged issue: the future leadership of Tibetan Buddhism.
In a pointed statement issued Monday, the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi warned India against making any comments or gestures concerning the succession of the 14th Dalai Lama — calling it “a purely internal matter of China.” Beijing stated that any Indian interference would be considered a violation of its sovereignty and could further strain diplomatic ties.
The warning follows public celebrations in India marking the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday, attended by senior Indian ministers. The Tibetan spiritual leader, who has lived in exile in India since 1959, used the occasion to reaffirm that China would “have no say” in the selection of his successor — a claim Beijing sees as a direct challenge to its authority over Tibet.
The timing is significant: Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is due to visit China on July 15 for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit — the first such high-level visit since the deadly 2020 border clash in the Galwan Valley.
With over 70,000 Tibetan refugees and a government-in-exile operating from Indian soil, New Delhi walks a fine line — balancing strategic ambiguity with symbolic support for Tibetan autonomy.
Analysts warn that the renewed friction over the Dalai Lama’s succession reflects a broader pattern of ideological divergence between the two nations, one that goes far beyond their contested Himalayan border.
