Spiritual Guru Dalai Lama. (File photo)
While the 90th birthday of Tibet's highest spiritual guru Dalai Lama is coming from all over the world, the congratulations from America have increased the stir in diplomatic circles. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio appreciated the contribution of the Dalai Lama in his statement, as well as the US commitment to the human rights and religious freedom of Tibetans.
US Secretary of State Rubio said, “The Dalai Lama keeps the message of unity, peace and compassion alive. America supports efforts to preserve the distinguished linguistic, cultural and religious heritage of Tibetans.”
But the real political sign of the Foreign Minister was in the last line, in which the US said, “We support the freedom of the Tibetan community in which they can choose and worship their religious leaders without any interference.”
Is it pointed to China?
Experts are also considering this one line as a direct signal towards China. Beijing has long been claiming that the Dalai Lama's successor will decide its controlled religious body. On the contrary, exactly, the exiled Tibetan government and the Dalai Lama have been saying that the successor should be selected completely according to religious traditions, which does not interfere with any political strength.
In fact, this issue has become more sensitive in 2025 because the Dalai Lama is now 90 years old, and the future fight with his successor seems to be intensifying.
Why is America's soft strike important?
According to analysts, this press statement is not only a congratulations, but also a soft political message- especially when there is increasing conflict between the US and China on the Indo-China border tension, Taiwan crisis and Hong Kong issues.
India may not react to this statement, but Delhi understands well that the Dalai Lama is a soft power asset not only for Tibetan refugees but also in India's strategic policy. In such a situation, this initiative of America can be diplomatically beneficial for India.
The US congratulations on the 90th birthday of the Dalai Lama may have been filled with words of peace and compassion, but the message hidden in its bottom would have been very clearly heard that in the name of Tibet's religious freedom, America still did not hesitate to openly challenge China's policies.
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