China’s claim on Dalai Lama's successor

Context

 China said that any successor to the present Dalai Lama should be approved by it, ruling out recognition to any heir nominated by him or by his followers.

How Dalai Lama is chosen?

• Dalai Lamais a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism which is the newest of the classical schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
• According to Buddhist belief in the principle of reincarnation, the Dalai Lamais believed by Buddhists to be able to choose the body into which he is reincarnated. That person, when found, will then become the next Dalai Lama

What claims were made by China under white paper?

• The paper is titled 'Tibet Since 1951: Liberation, Development and Prosperity.
• Claim over recognition: According to the White paper issued by the China, the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and other grand Living Buddhas has been subjected to approval by the central government since the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
  • In 1793, after dispelling Gurkha invaders, the Qing government restored order in Tibet and promulgated the Imperially Approved Ordinance for Better Governance of Tibet, improving systems by which the central government-administered Tibet.
  • The ordinance stipulated that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and other grand Living Buddhas had to follow the procedure of "drawing lots from the golden urn" and that the selected candidate would be subject to approval by the central government of China.
• Stance over Tibet: The white paper termed the demand for Tibetan independence as a product of imperialist aggression against China.
  • The document asserted that Tibet was an inseparable part of China since ancient times.

Reason behind this claim

• The 14th Dalai himself was found and recognised following religious rituals and historic conventions, and his succession was approved by China's central government. Lama fled to India in 1959 following a Chinese crackdown on an uprising by the local population in Tibet.
• India granted him political asylum and the Tibetan government-in-exile has been based in Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh since then.
• The Dalai Lama is 85 years old now and the issue of his successor has gained prominence in the last couple of years due to his advanced age.
• The Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 (TPSA) passed by the US Congress makes it official United States policy that decisions regarding the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama are exclusively within the authority of the current Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhist leaders and the Tibetan people.