Japanese media recently interviewed personnel of the so-called Tibetan government-in-exile, which attacked China's policy in the Xizang autonomous region, and said that the successor of the 14th Dalai Lama will be reincarnated in the "free world", calling on countries to put pressure on China.

It is absurd that the "Buddhists" of an outright separatist political group and an illegal organization should try and define "free world" in light of Cold War doctrine, and instigate foreign forces' interference in China's internal affairs.

The "Tibetan government-in-exile", which blatantly violates China's Constitution and laws, is funded by China-bashers as well as those it hoodwinks to believe its "legitimacy". That no country in the world recognizes it speaks volumes of its nature as a de facto pawn of anti-China forces under the cloak of religion.

Xizang affairs are China's internal affairs that brook no external interference. It is thus highly improper that the Japanese media organizations provided those from the separatist organization with the chance to spread their misleading and fallacious message.

The 14th Dalai Lama and the so-called Tibetan government-in-exile led by him have no right to represent the Tibetan people, let alone decide the future and destiny of Xizang, which is an inalienable part of China.

The fast development of Xizang and the neighboring regions of Gansu, Qinghai, Yunnan and Sichuan provinces inhabited by Tibetan people over the past decades is the most powerful rebuttal of the separatist group's smear campaign against China. The Tibetan people's culture, language and religion are well protected, as are the local ecology and environment.

The 14th Dalai Lama clique has been taking advantage of the world's lack of knowledge regarding the history of Tibetan Buddhism to hype up and speculate on the "reincarnation issue".

The reincarnation of living Buddhas is unique to Tibetan Buddhism. It follows established religious rituals and historical conventions that are widely respected and upheld within the Tibetan Buddhist community. The claim that the next reincarnation will appear in the "free world" is a deliberate distortion and misrepresentation, as a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Japan said on Monday.

The central government and governments at all levels in Xizang fully respect the tradition of reincarnation of living Buddhas of Tibetan Buddhism. They strictly follow the Measures on the Management of the Reincarnation of Living Buddhas of Tibetan Buddhism and manage the process in accordance with the law. Under the guidance of Buddhist groups, the succession of living Buddhas of Tibetan Buddhism is carried out in accordance with religious rituals and historical conventions.

Among these rituals and conventions, the golden urn lot-drawing and the approval of the central government for the succession of living Buddhas have become historical customs, and the historical tradition of domestic search has long been an important principle.

The Chinese government implements the policy of freedom of religious belief according to the law, and fully respects and protects this way of inheritance in Tibetan Buddhism, which is supported by the Tibetan people.

The religious status and title of the Dalai Lama Living Buddha have been determined by the central government for hundreds of years. The 14th Dalai Lama himself was found and identified in accordance with the aforementioned religious rituals and historical customs.

The reincarnation of living Buddhas, including the Dalai Lama, must abide by national laws and regulations and follow religious rituals and historical customs. It is by no means something that can be manipulated by the "Tibetan government-in-exile", because that will be a violation of the rules and principles of Tibetan Buddhism and provide the anti-China forces overseas with a new puppet to continue playing the "Tibet card" in the future.