Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that India should exercise caution in its words and actions, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs with Xizang related issues and avoid impact on the improvement and development of the China-India relationship.

China has asked India to act cautiously on Tibet-related issues, while objecting to Union Minister Kiren Rijiju's remarks that the incarnation of the Dalai Lama should follow his wishes.

Weeks before the Dalai Lama ruled out China's role in choosing his successor, President Xi Jinping met a Tibetan Buddhist monk installed three decades ago by Beijing as the faith's No. 2 leader, the Panchen Lama.

China published a screed condemning a declaration by the Dalai Lama that only his office will have power to find his successor.

It was a Great Escape in 1959 from Lhasa's Norbulingka Palace, the summer seat of the Dalai Lama, the head of Tibetan Buddhism. Then just 23, the Dalai Lama had no option but to flee Tibet after it became clear that an invitation to a dance event was communist China's bid to imprison him. Disguised as a soldier, he hoodwinked Chinese soldiers and entered India after a gruelling two-week trek.

The Dalai Lama has often called himself a simple monk, but millions of his Tibetan Buddhist followers have worshipped him for decades as a near deity.

Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong said on X that the reincarnation of Tibetan spiritual leaders follows strict, centuries-old rituals and cannot be decided by one person, including the Dalai Lama. He listed traditional methods like divination and the Golden Urn, all requiring approval from China's central government. World News | China Reiterates Its Claim to Authority over Dalai Lama Reincarnation Process, Cites Centuries-old Rituals.

Union Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju asserted that the choice of the Dalai Lama's successor should rest solely with the spiritual leader himself, reflecting the belief of his followers worldwide amid China's recent statement on the matter. Dalai Lama Succession: Union Minister Rijiju Backs Spiritual Leader’s Sole Right to Choose Successor, Says ‘No Need for India to Speak on the Issue’ Amid China’s Remark.