China warns against separatism ahead of Dalai Lama’s expected succession decree

China’s top security official has called for the defeat of “separatism” during a trip to Qinghai province, birthplace of the exiled Dalai Lama, three weeks before the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader is expected to announce his succession plan.

During a three-day inspection tour of the northwestern province that ended on Sunday, Chen Wenqing, secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission and a member of the 24-strong Politburo, said political and legal bodies must fully understand Qinghai’s unique geopolitical position.

“Qinghai is a strategic stronghold for maintaining stability in Xinjiang and Tibet,” Chen said, reiterating the message President Xi Jinping delivered when he visited in 2021. “It is of great importance to safeguard the security and stability of Qinghai.”

Beyond the Tibet autonomous region, there are 10 Tibetan autonomous prefectures across Yunnan, Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai provinces. Although he was born in Qinghai, the 14th Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since 1959 after a failed uprising.

Chen’s tour included visits to key security sites, patrols of sensitive locations and field visits to religious and cultural institutions in Xining, state news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday.

While in the provincial capital, he attended a symposium on maintaining stability and anti-separatism efforts related to Tibet. There, he issued instructions regarding the security and stability of the Tibet autonomous region and Tibetan areas in other provinces.

Chen asked political and legal bodies in Qinghai to “lawfully manage ethnic and religious affairs, enhance emergency preparedness, ensure safety and stability during major events, important periods and sensitive key points, and resolutely win the fight against separatism related to Tibet”, Xinhua reported.

Chen’s inspection tour comes three weeks before the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday on July 6. The spiritual leader has hinted that during the occasion he will reveal his preferred method for selecting his successor.

  

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