How Xi’s meeting with China-backed Panchen Lama shows Beijing’s anxiety over Dalai Lama’s succession – Firstpost

Recently, while looking at old papers, I came across an article that I wrote thirty years ago for Russi Karanjia’s Blitz tabloid.

It was about the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama, who in 1951 had been selected by the Communist regime in Beijing, despite the findings and against the will of the Dalai Lama’s government in Lhasa.

Years later, though groomed and educated by the Communist Party, Choekyi Gyaltsen, the Chinese candidate, turned out to be one of the greatest Tibetan patriots; in fact, he passed away in mysterious circumstances during a rare visit to Tibet in January 1989, probably eliminated by Beijing. Today, China is nervous that their selected Panchen Lama could also become a ‘patriot’.

Thirty years ago, I explained: “On December 8, 1995, history seems to repeat itself once more: a Chinese candidate was imposed by the Communist Party on the Tibetan People and ‘officially’ enthroned in the Tashi Lhunpo monastery in Shigatse, the second largest Tibetan town. The ceremony had been kept secret by the Chinese until the last moment, as they feared the backlash of an angry Tibetan population at this unilateral imposition of their candidate.”

This was after the Dalai Lama had discovered the real Panchen Lama, named Gedun Choekyi Nyima, who is unfortunately still languishing under house arrest at an unknown location for the past 30 years.

The Chinese candidate, Gyaltsen Norbu, was chosen after a mock ‘Golden Urn’ ceremony organised by the dignitaries of the Communist Party in the Jokhang Cathedral in Lhasa on November 29, 1995. The parents of Gyaltsen Norbu were themselves said to be Communist Party members from Lhari in Nagchu Prefecture; incidentally, they were known to Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping.

In 1995, I wrote: “The usual traditional joy expressed by the Tibetan crowds when one of its high incarnate lamas (and especially the Dalai Lama or the Panchen Lama) has come back to our world to continue to fulfil his Bodhisattva vows to return again and again in order to help all sentient beings to be one day liberated from this world of suffering was absent. This time curfew was imposed in Shigatse, Lhasa and Chamdo, the three largest cities in Tibet, and the boy had to be isolated under protection in one of the estates of the previous Panchen Lama in Shigatse.”

Repeating History?

Certain signs show that history could repeat itself and Gyaltsen Norbu could refuse to cooperate with the Communist Party and help sorting out the issue of the Dalai Lama’s succession, for which he is Beijing’s main card.

Traditionally, Panchen Lamas play an important role in the selection of the Dalai Lama, who will be turning 90 years old on July 6; his succession has been widely discussed, as the Dalai Lamas used to recognise the Panchen Lamas and vice versa. This is probably why the ‘real’ Panchen Lama, Gedun Choekyi Nyima, is still kept in custody by the Chinese government.

Moreover, Nyima has been educated as a Communist, cutting away all his Tibetan roots, with no spiritual and religious education and, apparently, not knowing the Tibetan language.

Gyaltsen Norbu

In a recent report on the Tibetan leadership in Tibet, Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet (ITC) observed: “Gyaltsen Norbu, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-selected Panchen Lama, is among these lama officials but has not moved up the ladder contrary to expectations. Could it be because, despite all the powers and resources of the CCP, they have not been able to encourage the Tibetan public in Tibet to embrace him as a spiritual leader, and so the Chinese authorities cannot get political mileage out of him? It could also be that China’s strategy for him is being pulled in separate ways by those in the leadership who consider him an asset and those who are realising that he might be a liability. There may also be questions about his reliability.”

Many believe that, like the 10th Panchen Lama, he could be a liability to the Party. To give an example, in a New Year Greeting message in English, Norbu did not even mention the name of Xi Jinping, something very unusual in today’s China.

ITC believes that for Beijing, he has not been making great political contributions: “From all indications from Tibet, the CCP-selected Panchen Lama has minimal religious influence and is hardly there among the Tibetan people. Although he has been made to travel to Tibetan areas in the past several years, it is only through monetary incentives and political coercion that ordinary Tibetans are made to attend events with him.”

This leaves Beijing in a dilemma.

Meeting with the Boss

It is probably why, on June 6, President Xi Jinping summoned Norbu to Zhongnanhai, the official compound where the Communist Party’s senior leaders live.

After Norbu presented the Chinese president a khata, the traditional Tibetan silk scarf “symbolising purity and auspiciousness”, and briefed the president on his studies and work in recent years, Xi requested the young lama: “to make greater contributions to promoting ethnic unity and religious harmony, as well as the stability, development and progress in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region.” Xizang is the new name for Tibet.

Xi hoped that the Panchen Lama would carry on “the glorious tradition of Tibetan Buddhism in loving the country and resolutely safeguard national unity and ethnic solidarity.” The Dalai Lama was obviously targeted.

Then Xi called upon the young lama to “play an even better role in forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, systematically promoting the principle that religions in China must be Chinese in orientation, and advancing the modernisation drive in Tibet”.

In plain words, it means the ‘sinicisation’ of Tibetan Buddhism and eradication of Indian origin and influence in the spread of Buddhism on the plateau.

These are the schemes promoted by the core leader (Xi Jinping).

Norbu could only promise to “firmly uphold the leadership of the CPC, resolutely safeguard national unity and ethnic solidarity, and contribute more to enhancing ethnic solidarity and progress, ensuring that religions in China must be Chinese in orientation.”

Two members of the Politburo’s Standing Committee, Wang Huning, chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and Cai Qi were present, accompanied by Li Ganjie, another member of the CCP’s Politburo, responsible for the United Front Department.

Interestingly, apart from two of the Panchen Lama’s attendants, no other Tibetan was invited. It was not the case the last time Xi Jinping gave an audience to Gyaltsen Norbu in 2015; then, Jampa Phuntsok, the senior-most Tibetan in the Communist hierarchy, was in attendance.

The 2015 ‘Audience’

Let us come back to June 2015; Xinhua announced that President Xi Jinping had ‘accepted an audience’ with Norbu at Zhongnanhai. The term ‘accepting an audience’ is a euphemism because the young lama certainly did not have the choice.

The two leaders had already met in 2006, on the occasion of the first World Buddhism Forum in Hangzhou; then, during a visit to Tibet in July 2011, when Xi was vice president, he paid homage to the previous (the 10th) Panchen Lama at the Tashilhunpo Monastery by offering a khata on the tomb of the great Tibetan leader.

It should also be mentioned that for decades, Xi Zhongxun, the President’s father, had been close to the 10th Panchen Lama and even wrote his official obituary in The People’s Daily when the Tibetan leader passed away in Shigatse in January 1989.

The 2015 meeting was ‘very appropriate’ had noted Xinhua as it showed that the Party ‘has consistently given a high level of attention to Tibet’.

Xi advised Gyalsten Norbu to “keep the motherland and its people in his heart and firmly work for the unification of the country and all its ethnic groups”. Already there were probably doubts in Beijing’s mind.

Norbu was told that he was expected to grow into “a Tibetan Buddhist leader with great religious achievement, deeply loved by the monks and secular followers”.

Gyaltsen Norbu was lectured; he had “to promote positive Buddhist doctrines, such as those upholding kindness, denouncing wickedness, promoting equality and generosity, as well as helping the needy.” General Secretary of the Communist Party giving a religious sermon to a Buddhist monk!

In the next four weeks, Beijing’s moves will have to be closely followed; Beijing clearly fears an announcement from Dharamsala about the Dalai Lama’s succession.

And let us not forget that India has stakes with nearly 10 lakhs of Indian Himalayans following the Dalai Lama.

The writer is Distinguished Fellow, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (Delhi). Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.