It seems that soon China and the United States will have a reason for a new conflict - the search for the next Dalai Lama (who has been in force for 91 years). It would seem, what does these two countries have to do with it? And how can a Tibetan spiritual leader cause political tension in Asia?translated

The 14th Dalai Lama holds the hand of a monk at an official ceremony marking the 86th anniversary of his enthronement in Dharamsala, India. February 2026 In July 2026, the 14th Dalai Lama turned 91 years old, which means that pretty soon the Tibetan religious elite living in exile in India will begin the search for his successor. However, it is not only Tibetans who will be looking for a future Buddhist leader. China, which annexed Tibet in 1959, believes that it has the right to appoint its own candidate and is ready to enter into conflict with India, as a country that has hosted Tibetan oppositionists. The United States, interested in containing Chinese influence in the Far Eastern region, will probably also want to get involved in the conflict. In America, at the legislative level, they are preparing for the death of the current Dalai Lama and possible options for the development of events after it. At the request of Meduza, sinologist Alexey Chigadayev explains how China, the United States and India became involved in the most important Tibetan religious rite and how the conflict between the three countries around the next Dalai Lama could develop.

Why China believes it has the right to participate in the search for the Dalai Lama China does not have the undisputed right to approve the Dalai Lama, but it does...