Beijing, China: Beijing has sharply criticised the Dalai Lama’s first Grammy Award, describing the honour as “a tool for anti-China political manipulation.”

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian responded to the prize on Monday, declaring, “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. We firmly oppose the relevant party using the award as a tool for anti-China political manipulation.”

The Tibetan spiritual leader, who has lived in exile in India since 1959, received the award on Sunday in the category of audiobook, narration and storytelling for his work ‘Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’.

In a statement published on his official website, the Dalai Lama said he regarded the recognition “as a recognition of our shared universal responsibility,” adding that he accepted it “with gratitude and humility.”

Longstanding dispute on succession

The Dalai Lama is widely seen as the symbolic leader of Tibet’s struggle for autonomy. He fled to India after Chinese forces crushed an uprising in Lhasa in 1959. Beijing governs Tibet as an autonomous region but has long faced accusations of suppressing Tibetan language, culture and identity.

The issue of succession remains another point of contention. Tibetan Buddhists believe each Dalai Lama is a reincarnation of a spiritual leader first born in 1391. Beijing insists the next Dalai Lama must be born in Tibet and recognised by the Communist Party, while the Dalai Lama has stated his successor will come from a free country and that China has no role in the process.