China's plan to wait out the Dalai Lama

By Jeff Gimm

In a recent interview with Fareed Zakaria, The Dalai Lama addressed concerns over the future of his people and what will happen once he is gone. What seems to be the current Chinese plan is to let more ethnic Han Chinese move into Tibet and slowly project their culture over that of the Tibetan people. The Chinese are vehemently opposed to anything that resembles independence for Tibet and some look upon the Dalai Lama as some sort of rebel leader. However the Dalai Lama has repeatedly stated that he does not want seperation from China but rather an autonomous region working within the Chinese sphere of control. The other half of the current Chinese plan is to wait out the Dalai Lama who is currently 72. Traditionally, Tibetan leaders would seek out the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. But with the current unease, there may end up being two Lamas, one backed by Lhasa and one by Beijing. Zakaria warns in his article though that this may backfire, as without the current Dalai Lama as a figurehead, the movement for independence within Tibet may pick up a radical, more violent tone.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/08/zakaria.dalailama/index.html?eref=rss_world