China’s leader, Xi Jinping, made a rare visit to the capital of Tibet on Wednesday, highlighting his resolve to keep a firm grip over Tibet’s Buddhist believers, push more of them to speak standard Chinese and ensure that the once-rebellious region stays firmly under Beijing’s rule.

       Mr. Xi emphasized the Communist Party’s vision for the region in a speech to China’s regional government in Tibet, marking 60 years since the founding of the Tibet Autonomous Region. His published comments did not mention the Dalai Lama, the exiled Buddhist leader who is revered by many Tibetans but reviled by the Chinese government.

       But Mr. Xi’s tightly choreographed trip, his first since 2021 to Lhasa, the capital, reflected the Chinese leadership’s concern with redoubling control ahead of a potential succession fight after the eventual death of the current and 14th Dalai Lama, who is 90.

       “To govern Tibet and make it stable and prosperous, the priority must be maintaining Tibet’s political order, social stability, ethnic unity and religious harmony,” Mr. Xi said, according to an official summary of his speech. He called for stronger regulation of “religious affairs" and to “guide Tibetan Buddhism to adapt to socialist society.”

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       Tibetan Buddhists believe that the Dalai Lama is reincarnated in his successor, who is identified after a search, in the form of a young boy. Last month, the Dalai Lama announced that this tradition would prevail after his death, free from Chinese or external influence. China’s leaders claim that only the governing Communist Party, an avowedly atheist organization, has the power to oversee choosing the next incarnation of the Dalai Lama.

       Image

       Potala Palace, traditional home of the Dalai Lama, overlooks Lhasa. People walked through the palace square during a government-organized tour in March.Credit...Go Nakamura/Reuters

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