Canberra office rejects China’s role in reincarnation
The Tibet Information Office in Canberra has accused the Chinese Embassy of spreading disinformation about the Dalai Lama reincarnation process in paid newspaper content published earlier this week. The complaint targets a sponsored article titled “How the Dalai Lama became the Dalai Lama: A fascinating history of Tibetan Buddhism” that appeared in regional newspapers.
In a statement issued from Canberra, the office called the claims “entirely baseless, highly misleading” and said they showed disregard for Buddhists worldwide and for fundamental human rights. The office represents Tibetan affairs in Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia.
At the centre of the dispute is Beijing’s claim that the next Dalai Lama must be identified within China and approved by the Chinese government. However, the Canberra-based office rejected that position and urged the Australian public, media and international community to view the campaign as political propaganda.
On 2 July 2025, the Dalai Lama reaffirmed that his institution would continue. He also confirmed that sole authority to recognise his future reincarnation rests with the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Claims over authority
Reincarnation is a spiritual process, not a political one. The recognition of reincarnate lamas depends on beliefs about past and future lives and on the continuity of consciousness across lifetimes.
Because of that, the office argued that the Chinese Communist Party has no legal, historical or spiritual right to interfere. The statement called the party an officially atheist regime that represses religious freedom in Tibet.
Meanwhile, the office linked the current row to Beijing’s wider policy in Tibet. It pointed to the 1995 abduction of the 11th Panchen Lama, whose whereabouts remain forcefully concealed, as part of what it called a broader strategy to erase Tibetan cultural and spiritual identity.
Karma Singey, Representative of the Tibet Information Office, said, “The continuity of Tibetan Spiritual leadership will be determined based on the Tibetan spiritual traditions, and the Tibetan people will never recognise a puppet ‘reincarnation’ appointed by Beijing.”
Following that warning, the office called on Australians to remain vigilant against political narratives that undermine the sacred lineages of Tibetan Buddhism.
Last updated: 29 June 2026, 11:45 am
