Are China officials aiming to charm the neighbours over next Dalai Lama choice?
- Regional visits by Tibet’s party chief and chairman may be part of an attempt to win support from Buddhists on succession issue
- Observers said the higher profile for provincial officials is also part of Beijing’s push to bolster neighbourly ties
Yan led a delegation to the Maldives, Thailand and Myanmar from November 19 to 28, to “comprehensively promote the successful practice and rich experience of the Communist Party in governing Tibet … and to promote extensive exchanges and cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative”, according to the official Tibet Daily.
It followed a 10-day visit by Wang to Nepal, Sri Lanka and Singapore to “strengthen people-to-people exchanges, promote closer economic and trade contacts, and deepen practical cooperation in various fields”, according to an earlier report by the same newspaper.
Robert Barnett, founder of the Modern Tibetan Studies Programme at Columbia University and currently an affiliate lecturer with King’s College London, said the recent trips might be part of Beijing’s attempts to win support from regional Buddhists over the Dalai Lama succession issue.
“That is a very important political issue for China,” he said.
Beijing insists that it has the right to approve the appointments of all senior Tibetan Buddhist figures – including the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama – as a legacy inherited from China’s emperors.
