(TibetanReview.net, Jun18’25) – In what is seen as a step up of crackdown on Tibetans ahead of a possible announcement on the recognition of his reincarnation, or otherwise the appointment of his successor, by the Dalai Lama on or after his 90th birthday Jul 6, China’s top security official has called for the defeat of “separatism” during a trip to Qinghai province, the birthplace of the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, according to the scmp.com Jun 17.
Before that, on Jun 6, President Xi Jinping “received” a visit from the China-appointed 11th Panchen Lama Gyaincain Norbu, joined by three other Party Politburo members. Gyaincain is expected to play a key role in giving religious legitimacy to China’s planned appointment of its own 15th Dalai Lama “reincarnation”, even though the latter himself lacks legitimacy.
During a three-day inspection tour of Qinghai that ended on Jun 15, Chen Wenqing, secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission and a member of the 24-strong Party Politburo, has called on political and legal bodies under him to fully understand the province’s unique geopolitical position.
“Qinghai is a strategic stronghold for maintaining stability in Xinjiang and Tibet,” Chen has said, reiterating the message President Xi Jinping delivered when he visited the area in 2021. “It is of great importance to safeguard the security and stability of Qinghai.”
Chen’s tour was stated to have included visits to key security sites, patrols of sensitive locations and field visits to religious and cultural institutions in the provincial capital Xining, the report said, citing state news agency Xinhua Jun 15.
While in Xining, Chen attended a symposium on maintaining stability and anti-separatism efforts related to Tibet. There, he issued instructions regarding the security and stability of the Tibet autonomous region (TAR) and Tibetan areas in other provinces, the report said.
Chen was stated to have asked political and legal bodies in Qinghai to “lawfully manage ethnic and religious affairs, enhance emergency preparedness, ensure safety and stability during major events, important periods and sensitive key points, and resolutely win the fight against separatism related to Tibet (TAR).”
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The Dalai Lama has long made it clear, including in his most recent book published in March, that he would be reincarnated outside China so long as the Tibet issue remained unresolves during his lifetime, unnerving Beijing and sparking concerns about social stability across the Tibetan Plateau region.
While the search for the reincarnation of the next Dalai Lama traditionally involves interpreting instructions and indications given by his predecessor as the primary basis, China has passed a law requiring the search to be carried out only in the territory of the People’s Republic of China and the selection approved by it.
While the Panchen Lama has historically played a role in the recognition of the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, and vice versa, this has been true only if he is in a position to do so. But the 11th Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, recognized by the Dalai Lama, was kidnapped by China and has remained disappeared ever since 1995.
During their Jun 6 meeting, Xi expressed hopes that the Panchen Lama appointed by his government, but not recognized by the mainstream Tibetan people, would “carry on the glorious tradition of Tibetan Buddhism of loving the country and religion, and resolutely safeguard national and ethnic unity”.
And days after the Xi-Gyaincain meeting, TAR party secretary Wang Junzheng convened a meeting with Tibetan government officials to study Xi’s speech, which he said emphasised the central government’s strong focus on Tibet’s religious and social issues, the report said, citing an official local newspaper.
The report was stated to have cited Wang as having said Xi showed “care and affection” for the Tibetan people and religious leaders, and provided “guidance and fundamental principles for actively promoting the Sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism”.