A senior Indian minister has said that only the Dalai Lama and the organization he has set up have the authority to identify his successor as the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism, in a rare comment contradicting rival China's long-held position.

DHARAMSHALA – As he approaches his 90th birthday, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, announced on July 1 that there will be a 15th reincarnation—his first major public confirmation that the 600-year-old tradition will continue after his death.

The Dalai Lama’s video address sets up a potential clash with Beijing, which views the Tibetan spiritual leader as a dangerous separatist and insists that the Chinese government must approve the selection of the next Dalai Lama.