Overview

• The Dalai Lama declared on July 2 that the centuries-old institution of the Dalai Lama will continue after his death.
• He vested exclusive authority for identifying the 15th Dalai Lama in the Gaden Phodrang Foundation, the trust he established in 2015.
• He stipulated that his successor must be born outside Chinese-controlled territory to ensure freedom from political influence.
• China’s government insisted it retains the right to approve the next Dalai Lama through a Qing-era golden urn lottery conducted within its borders.
• US lawmakers and Tibetan exiled leaders welcomed the trust’s mandate and have backed legislation threatening sanctions against any rival Chinese appointment.