'We firmly oppose...': Beijing slams Grammy Award for Dalai Lama as ‘anti-China political manipulation’

China has expressed strong displeasure over conferring the Dalai Lama with a Grammy Award, calling it a tool for “anti-China political manipulation.” The 90-year-old Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader received the award on Sunday for his book, “Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.”

The Dalai Lama said he accepted the award with “gratitude and humility.” In a statement posted on his website, he added that he viewed the honour as “as a recognition of our shared universal responsibility.”

The 90-year-old has remained in exile from Tibet since 1959 and is viewed by Beijing as a rebel and separatist.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said: “It is well known that the 14th Dalai Lama is not merely a religious figure but a political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the guise of religion.”

“We firmly oppose the relevant party using the award as a tool for anti-China political manipulation,” he added.

According to Tibetan Buddhist beliefs, the Dalai Lama is reborn after death, a sacred process rooted in spiritual tradition rather than political authority.

He has previously said his reincarnation would take place in the “free world,” meaning outside atheist and communist China — a claim that Beijing has firmly rejected.

Chinese officials maintain that any succession must follow Chinese law, religious rituals and historical conventions, and must ultimately be approved by the central government in Beijing.