India, July 3 -- Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said the established institution and the Dalai Lama alone should decide on the Tibetan spiritual leader's succession, a day after China said that his reincarnation must have its approval.

The Chinese response followed the Dalai Lama's announcement on Wednesday about the continuation of the 600-year-old institution of the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhists after his death. The Dalai Lama said a trust he created will be the sole authority to recognise his reincarnation, effectively shutting out any Chinese role in choosing his successor.

Rijiju said the institution of the Dalai Lama is the most important and defining institution for Tibetans, not just in Tibet but across the world....