The Party’s Lama and the People’s Lama: Xi Jinping, Gyaltsen Norbu, and the Gungthang Rinpoche Question in Tibet
This op-ed critically examines the symbolic and strategic significance of the 6th June 2025 meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and the state-appointed Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu. Taking place exactly a decade after their first encounter, two years ahead of each Party Congress, and following the Fourth Plenary Session, the meeting reflects an emerging ritualised pattern within the Chinese Communist Party’s religious statecraft. Held at the historically significant Fengze Garden in Zhongnanhai, the encounter underscored key themes such as the sinicisation of religion, ethnic unity, and the cultivation of patriotic monastic figures.
The piece explores how these meetings serve as performative acts to consolidate Party control over Tibetan Buddhism, while also managing domestic legitimacy and international optics. It highlights a potential legitimacy crisis, noting Gyaltsen Norbu’s limited acceptance among Tibetans and contrasting his role with that of the increasingly influential 7th Gungthang Rinpoche Lobsang Jamyang Gelek Tenpai Khenchen. It further raises a speculative yet geopolitically salient question: could the CCP lose its “Panchen asset” through defection?
The essay concludes by situating this scenario within wider strategic implications, particularly for India, which may become a key stakeholder in any future rupture within China’s Tibet policy.
