Leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile, based in Dharamsala, India. He says China has been trying to revive back-channel talks with the Tibetan leadership since early 2023, though no meaningful progress has been made. Chinese intermediaries repeatedly ask about the Dalai Lama's health, schedule and succession plans. "They're worried," Penpa Tsering explains. "If there's one thing China can't handle, it's unpredictability."
He says the risks of a leadership vacuum after the Dalai Lama's death are manageable, as the Dalai Lama gave up his political powers in 2011 and other senior lamas will provide religious leadership during the transition to a successor.
You will be run over by a beer truck.