Overview

• During his 90th birthday gathering in Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama confirmed that the institution will continue and a successor will be chosen after his death
• He designated the Ganden Phodrang Trust as the sole authority to conduct traditional Tibetan Buddhist search rituals among exiled Tibetans for his reincarnation
• Spokeswoman Mao Ning for China’s Foreign Ministry asserted that any successor must receive approval from the Chinese central government under national laws
• State-run Chinese media rejected the Dalai Lama’s plan, insisting that no individual or outside group can determine the reincarnation without Beijing’s oversight
• Analysts warn the standoff increases the likelihood of competing Dalai Lamas, each backed by rival Tibetan and Chinese authorities