The Dalai Lama has announced that he will have a successor after his death, continuing a centuries-old tradition that has become a flashpoint in the struggle with China’s Communist Party over Tibet’s future. In a declaration ahead of his 90th birthday, the Dalai Lama also said his office has the “sole authority” to recognize the future reincarnation – setting the stage for a battle over his succession, a process Beijing claims it has authority over.
