(TibetanReview.net, Jul08’26) – A top Belgian government leader has on Jun 17 told the Foreign Affairs Committee of the country’s parliament that China inherently lacked any say in the recognition of the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, the occupied territory’s top religious leader currently living in exile in India, reported Tibet.net belatedly Jul 6. He has also shared concerns about the human rights situation in Tibet in the wake of China’s so-called Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law, which was set to come into force on Jul 1.
Maxime Prévo, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation Maxime, was responding to an oral question raised by Els Van Hoof, Member of the Belgian Federal Parliament.
In her intervention, Van Hoof had expressed deep concern over repeated statements by the Chinese government, asserting an intention to control the recognition of the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. She has warned that any attempt by Beijing to appoint its own candidate would violate centuries-old Tibetan Buddhist traditions and the fundamental right to freedom of religion, which included the right of religious communities to choose their own spiritual leaders according to their established customs.
Van Hoof has also noted that China’s newly enacted law on Ethnic Unity further formalises its long-standing policies of assimilation directed at Tibetans and other ethnic communities. She asked whether Belgium shared the view that the recognition of the 15th Dalai Lama should take place solely in accordance with Tibetan Buddhist tradition and what measures Belgium would pursue, including at the European Union level, to address the impact of the new law on the cultural, linguistic and religious rights of the Tibetan people.
In his response, Prévot has expressed unequivocal position that “the succession of the Dalai Lama is a matter for the Tibetan community itself, without interference from secular authorities.” He has added that he shared the concerns regarding the human rights situation in Tibet, freedom of religion and the cultural rights of the Tibetan people.
The Minister has spoken of Belgium being consistent in raising the situation in Tibet in its dialogue with Chinese authorities. He has spoken of having personally addressed the issue during his official visit to China in Apr 2026, adding Tibet was also discussed during bilateral political consultations held before that, in March.
Prévot has also noted that during UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review of China in 2024, Belgium had made recommendations concerning the preservation of the Tibetan people’s cultural identity and urged Beijing to respond positively to the longstanding request of the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion to visit the country.
Calling freedom of religion and the situation in Tibet an important component of relations between the European Union and China, Prévot has said Belgium will continue to address these in bilateral contacts, the EU–China Human Rights Dialogue and multilateral fora.
Representative Rigzin Genkhang of the Office of Tibet in Brussels, has expressed her sincere appreciation to the Belgian Government for reaffirming its principled position on those issues and thanked Van Hoof for raising them.