‘Political manipulation’: China slams Grammy award on Dalai Lama

Beijing has criticised the Dalai Lama’s first Grammy win, describing the music industry award for an audiobook, narration, and storytelling as “a tool for anti-China political manipulation.”

“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,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters in Beijing on Monday.

“We firmly oppose the relevant party using the award as a tool for anti-China political manipulation,” said Lin. “Such stance has been consistent and clear.”

Born Tenzin Gyatso, the 90-year-old Dalai Lama was announced as a Grammy winner on Sunday in the audio book, narration and storytelling category for “Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness The Dalai Lama.”

The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader said in a statement on his website that he saw the award “as a recognition of our shared universal responsibility.”

“I receive this recognition with gratitude and humility,” he added.

The Dalai Lama has lived in exile since 1959, when Chinese troops crushed an uprising in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa.

The Buddhist spiritual leader, known as the 14th Dalai Lama, has also been linked to past controversies, including an incident in 2023 in which he asked one of his students to “suck my tongue,” prompting widespread public backlash.

China took control of Tibet in 1951, describing the move as a “peaceful liberation.” However, China, which governs Tibet as an autonomous region, has been accused of trying to stamp out the Tibetan language, culture, and identity.

Following a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, the Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala in northern India, where he later established a Tibetan parliament and government-in-exile.

Beijing does not recognise this administration, asserting that Tibet has been part of China since the 13th century.

The Dalai Lama, however, maintains that Tibet was an independent state at the time the Chinese People’s Liberation Army entered the region.