(TibetanReview.net, Jul12’25) – The Chinese consulate in the Australian city of Sydney has on Jul 11 expressed bitter anger over criticisms the visiting Sikyong (executive head) of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) at Dharamshala, India, had made on Beijing’s plans to appoints its own 15th Dalai Lama reincarnation and for making tall claims about the real situation in Tibet in interviews with the media.
The Chinese side expresses its strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to his series of “false” remarks regarding the issue of the 14th Dalai Lama’s reincarnation and his spread of “Tibet independence” “lies” in an attempt to “mislead” the public. Such remarks are nothing but sheer nonsense, China’s official globaltimes.cn Jul 11 cited the consulate as saying on its official WeChat account.
The consulate has also vent spleen on the person whose reincarnation it wants to appoint on its own, saying, “the 14th Dalai Lama is a political exile engaged in separatist activities under the guise of religion. He has absolutely no right to represent the people in Xizang,” using the Sinicized name for Tibet.
The consulate has asserted that the reincarnation of “Living Buddhas” including the Dalai Lama must comply with, among other things, Chinese laws and regulations, and must be approved by the Chinese government.
The consulate wanted the Australian media to “see clearly the anti-China separatist nature of the Dalai group, avoid sending any wrong signal of supporting ‘Tibet independence’ forces to the public, and refrain from providing any platforms for anti-China and separatist activities or participating any activities of ‘Tibet independence’ forces.”
In his interview on ABC News at the ABC Studios, Sydney, Sikyong Penpa Tsering trashed China’s frequent portrayal of Tibet as a “socialist paradise.” He suggested that an independent first-hand visit would be an appropriate way to assess the reality behind such narratives.
China insists the Western media should visit Tibet and see the actual situation themselves before being critical of it, but does not grant them any visa except for rare, chaperoned tours filled with false propaganda inputs.