Dalai Lama revered leader in India, free to conduct religious activities: MEA after US delegation visit

The seven-member bipartisan delegation, led by the chair of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul, and including former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, met with the Dalai Lama on Wednesday. This meeting came days after the US House of Representatives passed the Resolve Tibet Act, which called on the Chinese government to engage with the Dalai Lama.

Chinese objections, succession question

China, which refers to Tibet as Xizang, has reacted sharply to the delegation’s visit and their meeting with the Dalai Lama. Beijing has “urged” the US to “adhere to its commitments of recognizing Xizang as part of China and not supporting ‘Xizang independence’.”

The lawmakers, following their visit to the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, asserted that they would not allow China to influence the choice of his successor.

While Beijing has continued to stand firm that its officially atheist Communist leaders have the right to approve the successor — as a legacy inherited from China’s emperors — the Tibetan tradition holds that the Dalai Lama is reincarnated after his death, and the current leader has said his successor may be found in India.

Last week,  Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, had urged Washington not to support Tibetan independence and had said the White House “must not sign the bill into law,” or China will take “resolute measures,” without elaborating on what these measures may be.  “It’s known by all that the 14th Dalai Lama is not a purely religious figure, but a political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion,” Lin added, urging the US side to “have no contact with the Dalai group in any form, and stop sending the wrong signal to the world.”

The Dalai Lama denies being a separatist and says he only advocates substantial autonomy and protection of Tibet’s native Buddhist culture.