Amid tensions between China and US over tariffs, Beijing lashed out at Washington accusing it of backing Tibetan separatism after Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday.
China has unleashed a fresh wave of criticism against the United States, this time not just over tariffs but also over the Dalai Lama, signaling growing tensions on both economic and ideological fronts.
According to a Reuters report, Beijing is fuming over remarks made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during the 90th birthday celebrations of the Dalai Lama. Marco Rubio had praised the Tibetan spiritual leader for inspiring “unity, peace, and compassion” and reiterated support for the Tibetan people’s right to preserve their cultural and religious identity, including the freedom to choose their own spiritual leaders.
That didn’t sit well with China.
“The Dalai Lama is a political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday. “He has no right to represent the Tibetan people or decide the region’s future. The United States is in no position to point fingers at China on Tibet-related matters.”
Beijing warned Washington to recognise the “extreme sensitivity” of Tibet and accused the US of encouraging separatism. This diplomatic war of words comes as China also battles another front – US President Donald Trump’s renewed tariff threats.
TENSIONS RISE OVER TARIFFS TOO
On Monday, China also reacted sharply to Donald Trump’s warning of a 10% tariff on BRICS nations over what he labelled as ‘anti-American policies’.
China’s foreign ministry dismissed the threat, asserting that “tariffs help no one” and emphasized BRICS’s role as a platform for cooperation, not confrontation. “BRICS promotes openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation,” Mao said.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social, declared that no BRICS country would be exempt from the new tariffs if they aligned against US interests. He also announced that formal tariff letters would be sent to nations around the world starting July 7.
DALAI LAMA’S REINCARNATION
Beyond the rhetoric, the more sensitive issue for Beijing appears to be the growing international support for the Dalai Lama’s stance on his reincarnation – an issue China insists is under its jurisdiction.
In his birthday week message, the Dalai Lama made it clear that only the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the non-profit he established, will have the authority to decide his successor. This directly counters Beijing’s claim that it holds the right to approve the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation – a holdover, it says, from imperial Chinese tradition.
The reincarnation issue is not just symbolic. It has serious geopolitical implications. The Panchen Lama, the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism, traditionally plays a role in identifying the next Dalai Lama. Beijing’s 1995 abduction of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the boy recognised by the Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama, and its appointment of its own candidate, Gyaltsen Norbu, remains one of the deepest fault lines in the Tibet-China dispute.
Senator Rubio reignited this controversy in May by demanding the immediate release of Gedhun, who has not been seen in public since he was six.
US RESTORES AID FOR TIBETAN COMMUNITIES IN SOUTH ASIA
Adding to China’s frustration, the US recently restored $6.8 million in aid for Tibetan communities in South Asia – funding that was cut under Trump’s ‘America First’ policy. The move was confirmed by the State Department to Reuters and welcomed by Penpa Tsering, leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile in India.