29-06-2025
Why China Is Determined to Choose the Next Dalai Lama
Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, turns 90 this week. This isn't just a milestone birthday, it's an opportunity to define his legacy. Ahead of those celebrations, he's expected to make a long-anticipated announcement about his heir.
China is determined to shape the narrative around this succession, to prevent the erosion of its grip on Tibet, a mountainous region that it annexed in the 1950s. At the time, the Dalai Lama was forced to flee in disguise, dressing in a Chinese uniform and escaping on foot with family members and ministers to India, where they settled as refugees. He established a government-in-exile in the northern city of Dharamshala, which has advocated for greater freedoms for their homeland.
