China has reignited tensions with India over the contentious issue of the Dalai Lama’s succession, calling it a “thorn” in bilateral relations just days before Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is set to visit China for the first time since the deadly border clashes in 2020.
In a sharply worded statement, the Chinese embassy in New Delhi said on Sunday that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama is an internal matter of China, and criticized what it called “improper remarks” from Indian strategic and academic circles backing the Tibetan spiritual leader’s stance that Beijing has no role in choosing his successor.
The remarks come shortly after celebrations marking the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday in Dharamshala, India, where several Indian dignitaries — including Minister of Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, and actor-activist Richard Gere — attended the festivities alongside the Tibetan spiritual leader.
“The reincarnation and succession of the Dalai Lama is inherently an internal affair of China,” said Yu Jing, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy. Referring to Tibet as Xizang, the Chinese name for the region, she added, “The Xizang-related issue is a thorn in China-India relations and has become a burden for India. Playing the ‘Xizang card’ will definitely end up shooting oneself in the foot.”
The Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in India since 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet, has long been a point of contention in Sino-Indian relations. His global influence and symbolic significance to the Tibetan cause provide India with subtle diplomatic leverage—something Beijing has repeatedly warned against.
Indian Minister Rijiju, who sat next to the Dalai Lama during the celebrations, recently stated that only the Dalai Lama himself and the Tibetan Buddhist community should determine the process of reincarnation, not any political entity. “As a practising Buddhist, I believe the authority lies solely with the spiritual leader and his office,” Rijiju said.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs, however, has maintained a neutral stance, stating on July 4 that it does not take positions on religious matters, including spiritual succession.
Minister Jaishankar will travel to Tianjin, China, on July 15 to attend a regional Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) security meeting and is expected to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines. His visit marks one of the highest-level diplomatic engagements between the two nations since their relations were severely strained by the 2020 Galwan Valley border clash that left at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead.
Just last month, India’s Defence Minister held talks with his Chinese counterpart during an SCO defence ministers’ summit, suggesting a cautious thaw in military-level engagement.
Yet, the diplomatic friction over Tibet, coupled with unresolved border tensions and competition for regional influence, continues to complicate India-China ties. The issue of the Dalai Lama’s succession — deeply spiritual for Tibetans but deeply political for Beijing — remains a symbolic flashpoint in an already delicate relationship.