Overview
- During a rare meeting in Beijing on Friday, Gyaltsen Norbu vowed to uphold the Communist Party’s leadership and advance the sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism
- The session coincided with the 30th anniversary of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima’s disappearance after his recognition by the Dalai Lama in 1995
- Chinese authorities assert that Gedhun Choekyi Nyima now lives privately as a college graduate but have offered no evidence of his whereabouts
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the alleged abduction of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and demanded his immediate release
- Observers say Beijing’s control of the Panchen Lama succession is aimed at influencing the recognition of the next Dalai Lama