A boy from Mongolia, whose name and age are unclear, is at the centre of a tense geopolitical chess game which is being played out between powerful governments in east Asia.&nbsp;According to a report by The Times on Wednesday (March 22), the boy's formal title is the tenth Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa, the third-most senior Lama of Tibetan Buddhism, and the head of that faith in Mongolia.&nbsp;

Until this month, the boy's existence was little more than a rumour. But then, he appeared alongside the Dalai Lama — the supreme leader of Tibetan Buddhism —&nbsp;who lives in exile in India. The Times report said the boy's presence was mentioned in the account of a ceremony presided over by the Dalai Lama at his base in Dharamsala on March 8.&nbsp;

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This development has gone unnoticed outside Buddhist and diplomatic circles. But in Mongolia, it has caused intense excitement among Buddhists, contempt among secular nationalists and alarm among those who fear this news would provoke the rage of Mongolia's powerful neighbour — China, the report said.&nbsp;

Tsetsegmaa Demberel, a female devotee of Buddhism and one of the 600 Mongolians who attended the March 8 ceremony in Dharmasala, said, “For three days afterwards, I was elated and filled with joy.” 
 
“I am so proud that we have a global spiritual leader, who is a Mongolian,” Demberel added.&nbsp;

At the centre of the controversy is Beijing's hatred for the Dalai Lama, 87. Back in 1959, he fled Tibet after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule. He is based in India.

The Dalai Lama is upheld as a spiritual leader in predominantly Buddhist Mongolia, but Beijing regards him as a dangerous separatist.&nbsp;

The belief of Tibetan Buddhists is that after death, the soul of a lama is reincarnated in a child, who is identified after lengthy rituals and divinations. However, China insists that only its appointees have the right to identify the reincarnations of lamas.

When the Dalai Lama named the new Panchen Lama in 1995, Beijing immediately arrested the child and replaced him with its candidate.

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In 2016, the Dalai Lama had visited Mongolia which was severely criticised by China. The Chinese government said the visit brought a negative impact on China-Mongolia relations. But before leaving Ulan Bator, the Dalai Lama said that Jetsun Dhampa — Tibetan Buddhism’s third-most-important lama — was reincarnated in Mongolia and the search was on to find him, The Times report said

This is the boy who was so discreetly presented in public for the first time, the report added.&nbsp;

Citing local media reports, The Times reported that the Mongolian boy is one of a pair of twins named Aguidai and Achiltai Altannar, although which one among them is not clear. He was born in 2015 in the United States and has dual nationality. The report also added that the boy has an elder sister and at least one other sibling.

The family is a long-standing patron of the Gandan Tegchinlen in Ulan Bator which is one of the greatest monasteries in Mongolia. But no one, including the boy's family and the government, will talk about the presentation which from the point of Mongolia’s foreign policy is fraught with peril.

Robbie Barnett, a Tibetan Buddhism expert at SOAS University of London, said, "It can be taken by China as a challenge to their past claim to sole authority in choosing lamas. These things can cascade into a confrontation with China, which could penalise Mongolia in damaging ways." 
&nbsp;

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A boy from Mongolia, whose name and age are unclear, is at the centre of a tense geopolitical chess game which is being played out between powerful governments in east Asia.

A boy from Mongolia, whose name and age are unclear, is at the centre of a tense geopolitical chess game which is being played out between powerful governments in east Asia. According to a report by The Times on Wednesday (March 22), the boy's formal title is the tenth Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa, the third-most senior Lama of Tibetan Buddhism, and the head of that faith in Mongolia. Until this month, the boy's existence was little more than a rumour. But then, he appeared alongside the Dalai Lama — the supreme leader of Tibetan Buddhism — who lives in exile in India. The Times report said the boy's presence was mentioned in the account of a ceremony presided over by the Dalai Lama at his base in Dharamsala on March 8. ALSO READ | India is my 'permanent residence, no point to return to China', says Dalai Lama This development has gone unnoticed outside Buddhist and diplomatic circles. But in Mongolia, it has caused intense excitement among Buddhists, contempt among secular nationalists and alarm among those who fear this news would provoke the rage of Mongolia's powerful neighbour — China, the report said. Tsetsegmaa Demberel, a female devotee of Buddhism and one of the 600 Mongolians who attended the March 8 ceremony in Dharmasala, said, “For three days afterwards, I was elated and filled with joy.” “I am so proud that we have a global spiritual leader, who is a Mongolian,” Demberel added. At the centre of the controversy is Beijing's hatred for the Dalai Lama, 87. Back in 1959, he fled Tibet after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule. He is based in India. The Dalai Lama is upheld as a spiritual leader in predominantly Buddhist Mongolia, but Beijing regards him as a dangerous separatist. The belief of Tibetan Buddhists is that after death, the soul of a lama is reincarnated in a child, who is identified after lengthy rituals and divinations. However, China insists that only its appointees have the right to identify the reincarnations of lamas. When the Dalai Lama named the new Panchen Lama in 1995, Beijing immediately arrested the child and replaced him with its candidate. ALSO READ | In a first, Indian Buddhist organisation passes resolution on succession of the 14th Dalai Lama In 2016, the Dalai Lama had visited Mongolia which was severely criticised by China. The Chinese government said the visit brought a negative impact on China-Mongolia relations. But before leaving Ulan Bator, the Dalai Lama said that Jetsun Dhampa — Tibetan Buddhism’s third-most-important lama — was reincarnated in Mongolia and the search was on to find him, The Times report said This is the boy who was so discreetly presented in public for the first time, the report added. Citing local media reports, The Times reported that the Mongolian boy is one of a pair of twins named Aguidai and Achiltai Altannar, although which one among them is not clear. He was born in 2015 in the United States and has dual nationality. The report also added that the boy has an elder sister and at least one other sibling. The family is a long-standing patron of the Gandan Tegchinlen in Ulan Bator which is one of the greatest monasteries in Mongolia. But no one, including the boy's family and the government, will talk about the presentation which from the point of Mongolia’s foreign policy is fraught with peril. Robbie Barnett, a Tibetan Buddhism expert at SOAS University of London, said, "It can be taken by China as a challenge to their past claim to sole authority in choosing lamas. These things can cascade into a confrontation with China, which could penalise Mongolia in damaging ways." WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Unidentified Mongolian boy being hailed as new Buddhist Lama. How will China respond?

China on Friday said it opposes plans by Indian government officials to host Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in a sensitive border region controlled by India but claimed by China.

Indian government representatives told Reuters in early March that officials would meet the Dalai Lama while he is on a religious trip to Arunachal Pradesh from April 4-13 and that as a secular democracy they would not stop him from travelling to any part of the country.

China claims the region in the eastern Himalayas as &quot;South Tibet&quot;, and has denounced foreign and even Indian leaders&#39; visits to the region as attempts to bolster New Delhi&#39;s territorial claims.

The trip by the Dalai Lama, whom the Chinese regard as a dangerous separatist, is expected to ratchet up frictions between New Delhi and Beijing over strategic issues such as China&#39;s growing ties with India&#39;s arch-rival Pakistan.

&quot;China resolutely opposes the 14th Dalai Lama visiting border regions disputed by China and India,&quot; Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular briefing in Beijing.

China urges India to &quot;avoid taking any actions that would further complicate the border issue, do not provide a platform for the 14th Dalai clique&rsquo;s separatist activities,&quot; he said.

&quot;The Dalai clique has made disgraceful performances on the China-India border issue,&quot; he added.

Visits by the Dalai Lama are planned months, if not years, in advance, and approval for the trip predates recent disagreements between China and India.

The Dalai Lama is expected to meet junior home minister Kiren Rijiju, an Arunachal native and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s point man on Tibetan issues&nbsp;while visiting the Buddhist Tawang monastery.

The Dalai Lama last visited the monastery in 2009. He also briefly stayed there after fleeing Tibet in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

&quot;During the Dalai Lama&rsquo;s last visit to Tawang, he said that the area is part of India. This is untrue and it undermines friendly relations between China and India,&quot; Lian Xiangming, an academic from China&#39;s government-run China Tibetology Research Center, said on March 23 at an event in Beijing.

&quot;Historically, Tawang was under Deprung temple (in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa) and had to make contributions to the regional government, so this means that Tawang is in itself a part of Tibet,&quot; he said.

&quot;Given Tawang is a part of Tibet and Tibet is a part of China, it is hard to say there is any logical problem here.&quot;

(Reuters)

The trip by the Tibetan spiritual leader is expected to ratchet up frictions between New Delhi and Beijing over strategic issues

China on Friday said it opposes plans by Indian government officials to host Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in a sensitive border region controlled by India but claimed by China. Indian government representatives told Reuters in early March that officials would meet the Dalai Lama while he is on a religious trip to Arunachal Pradesh from April 4-13 and that as a secular democracy they would not stop him from travelling to any part of the country. China claims the region in the eastern Himalayas as "South Tibet", and has denounced foreign and even Indian leaders' visits to the region as attempts to bolster New Delhi's territorial claims. The trip by the Dalai Lama, whom the Chinese regard as a dangerous separatist, is expected to ratchet up frictions between New Delhi and Beijing over strategic issues such as China's growing ties with India's arch-rival Pakistan. "China resolutely opposes the 14th Dalai Lama visiting border regions disputed by China and India," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular briefing in Beijing. China urges India to "avoid taking any actions that would further complicate the border issue, do not provide a platform for the 14th Dalai clique’s separatist activities," he said. "The Dalai clique has made disgraceful performances on the China-India border issue," he added. Visits by the Dalai Lama are planned months, if not years, in advance, and approval for the trip predates recent disagreements between China and India. The Dalai Lama is expected to meet junior home minister Kiren Rijiju, an Arunachal native and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's point man on Tibetan issues while visiting the Buddhist Tawang monastery. The Dalai Lama last visited the monastery in 2009. He also briefly stayed there after fleeing Tibet in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule. "During the Dalai Lama’s last visit to Tawang, he said that the area is part of India. This is untrue and it undermines friendly relations between China and India," Lian Xiangming, an academic from China's government-run China Tibetology Research Center, said on March 23 at an event in Beijing. "Historically, Tawang was under Deprung temple (in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa) and had to make contributions to the regional government, so this means that Tawang is in itself a part of Tibet," he said. "Given Tawang is a part of Tibet and Tibet is a part of China, it is hard to say there is any logical problem here." (Reuters)

China warns India on Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh

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Unidentified Mongolian boy being hailed as new Buddhist Lama. How will China respond?

China warns India on Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh