Dalai Lama turns 90: PM Modi’s greeting sends diplomatic signal to China

The Dalai Lama has repeatedly asserted that his successor will not be born in China and that only his India-based institution, the Gaden Phodrang Trust, has the authority to identify the next incarnation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, early Sunday morning, extended warm birthday greetings to the 14th Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday, hailing him as an "enduring symbol of love, compassion, patience and moral discipline."

“I join 1.4 billion Indians in extending our warmest wishes to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday. His message has inspired respect and admiration across all faiths. We pray for his continued good health and long life,” PM Modi wrote on microblogging X, in what can be interpreted as a symbolic reaffirmation of India’s support for the Dalai Lama’s spiritual authority.

I join 1.4 billion Indians in extending our warmest wishes to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday. He has been an enduring symbol of love, compassion, patience and moral discipline. His message has inspired respect and admiration across all faiths. We pray for his…

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— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 6, 2025

This is not the first time the Indian Prime Minister has publicly wished the Tibetan leader.

In 2023, PM Modi had similarly extended birthday greetings on X, writing, “Conveyed 88th birthday greetings to His Holiness the Dalai Lama over the phone earlier today. We pray for his long life and good health.”

While seemingly a customary gesture, the Prime Minister's message this year carries deeper diplomatic weight as tensions between India and China over the Tibetan spiritual leader’s succession continue to simmer.

As the Dalai Lama ages, the debate over his reincarnation continues to remain a geopolitical flashpoint.

India, it should be noted here, has quietly opposed Beijing's attempt to exert control over the eventual succession of the exiled Tibetan leader, which coincides with PM Modi's public and unreserved greeting.

Since 1959, when China suppressed a Tibetan uprising, the Dalai Lama has been living in India. Subsequent Indian governments have since struck a careful balance, permitting the Tibetan spiritual community to function in exile without directly provocating China.

PM Modi’s birthday greeting to the spiritual leader comes across as more than just a courtesy.

It comes amid a broader regional power competition between India and China, and as both sides cautiously work to repair ties frayed by the 2020 Galwan Valley border clash that left soldiers dead on both sides.

Additionally, recent developments, such as Union Minister Kiren Rijiju's public remarks and attendance of political leaders in the spiritual leader's birthday celebrations early this week, point to New Delhi's strong and assertive stand.

Rijiju, on Thursday, had said that “only the Dalai Lama and the organisation he has set up have the authority to identify his successor,” directly countering Beijing’s long-held position that the Chinese state reserves the final say.

Now, this position is significant, as China is widely expected to appoint a rival successor in Tibet, a move aimed at cementing its influence and undermining the India-based Tibetan government-in-exile.

Beijing was, hence, quick to retaliate against Rijiju’s remarks.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, in a statement, warned India to “act cautiously” on Tibet-related issues, accusing the Dalai Lama of being a “separatist” and reiterating Beijing’s claim that it holds authority over the reincarnation process of the Tibetan spiritual leader.

“India should honour its commitments on Xizang (Tibet) related issues,” Mao had said, urging New Delhi to avoid actions that could impact the ongoing efforts to improve bilateral relations.

Hours later, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a brief but pointed statement, noting, "The government of India does not take any position or speak on matters concerning beliefs and practices of faith and religion. The government has always upheld freedom of religion for all in India and will continue to do so".

India, thus, continues to maintain a balanced approach.

While it highlights that the Dalai Lama's legacy is based on spirituality rather than separatism, it simultaneously assists the Tibetan cause without officially acknowledging a government-in-exile.

On the other hand, Beijing is, nonetheless, interpreting India's actions, such as the public attendance of JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh and senior BJP leaders Vijay Jolly at Dalai Lama's birthday celebrations in Dharamshala this week, as subtly opposing China's claim to the Tibetan succession.

China has always insisted that the selection of the next Dalai Lama must follow historic religious rituals that include approval by the central government and the so-called "Golden Urn" process, a Qing-era tradition used to select high-ranking lamas.

Meantime, for the Tibetan community in exile, India remains the last refuge of religious autonomy and spiritual continuity.

The Dalai Lama himself has repeatedly asserted that his successor will not be born in China and that only his India-based institution, the Gaden Phodrang Trust, has the authority to identify the next incarnation.

The stakes are high -- China seeks to install a pliant figure within Tibet to tighten control, while the exiled Tibetan administration hopes to preserve religious freedom and legitimacy with India’s backing.

While the Prime Minister's statement was gentle and spiritual in tone, its timing and visibility send across a layered message -- India continues to value and support the Dalai Lama’s legacy, and will not yield ground on who decides the future of Tibetan Buddhism.