French officials allege China’s foreign embassies leading charge to undermine Rafale sales after India-Pakistan conflict in May, says report.
French military and intelligence officials claim China has deployed its embassies to spread doubts about the performance of French-made Rafale jets following the aerial combat between India and Pakistan in May.
The Associated Press news agency, quoting French officials, reported on Sunday that Beijing is working to harm the reputation and sales of France’s flagship fighter aircraft.
French officials say they have found that the Chinese embassies are trying to undermine Rafale sales by persuading countries that have already ordered the jets, notably Indonesia, not to buy them and instead choose Chinese-made fighters.
The AP report said the findings were shared by a French military official on condition that they should not be named.
Four days of India-Pakistan clashes in May were the most serious confrontation in years between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, which included air combat involving dozens of aircraft from both sides.
Military officials and researchers have since been digging for details of how Pakistan’s Chinese-made military hardware – particularly warplanes and air-combat missiles – fared against weaponry that India used in air strikes on Pakistani targets, notably French-made Rafale fighters.
Sales of Rafales and other armaments are big business for the French defence industry and help Paris to strengthen ties with other nations, including in Asia, where China is becoming the dominant regional power.
India confirms losses
Pakistan says its air force downed five Indian planes during the fighting, including three Rafales. French officials say that prompted questions about their performance from countries that have bought the fighter from French manufacturer Dassault Aviation.
India acknowledged aircraft losses but did not say how many. French air force chief General Jerome Bellanger said he has seen evidence pointing to just three aircraft losses – a Rafale, a Russian-made Sukhoi and a Mirage 2000, which is an earlier generation French-made jet.
Debris of an aircraft lies in the compound of a mosque at Pampore in Pulwama district of Indian-administered Kashmir, May 7, 2025 [Dar Yasin/AP Photo]
It was the first known combat loss of a Rafale, which France has sold to eight countries. “Of course, all those, the nations that bought Rafales, asked themselves questions,” Bellanger said.
French officials have been battling to protect the plane from reputational damage, pushing back against what they allege was a concerted campaign of Rafale-bashing and disinformation online from Pakistan and its ally, China.
They say the campaign included viral posts on social media, manipulated imagery showing supposed Rafale debris, AI-generated content and video-game depictions to simulate supposed combat.
More than 1,000 social media accounts newly created as the India-Pakistan clashes erupted also spread a narrative of Chinese technological superiority, according to French researchers who specialise in online disinformation.
French claims
Military officials in France say they have not been able to link the online Rafale-bashing directly to the Chinese government.
But the French intelligence service said Chinese embassy defence attaches echoed the same narrative in meetings they held with security and defence officials from other countries, arguing that Indian Rafale jets performed poorly and promoting Chinese-made weaponry.
The defence attaches focused their lobbying on countries that have ordered Rafales and other potential customer nations that are considering purchases, the intelligence service said. It said French officials learned of the meetings from nations that were approached.
The French Ministry for Armed Forces said the Rafale was targeted by “a vast campaign of disinformation” that “sought to promote the superiority of alternative equipment, notably of Chinese design”.
“The Rafale was not randomly targeted. It is a highly capable fighter jet, exported abroad and deployed in a high-visibility theatre,” the French ministry wrote on its website.
Asked by AP to comment on the alleged effort to dent Rafale’s appeal, the Ministry of National Defence in Beijing said: “The relevant claims are pure groundless rumours and slander. China has consistently maintained a prudent and responsible approach to military exports, playing a constructive role in regional and global peace and stability.”
Dassault Aviation has sold 533 Rafales, including 323 exported to Egypt, India, Qatar, Greece, Croatia, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia and Indonesia. Indonesia has ordered 42 planes and is considering buying more.
Search for missing continues with at least 51 people killed, including 15 children
We are restarting our live coverage of the devastating Texas floods.
Hundreds of rescuers are desperately searching for people missing in central Texas, after torrential rains caused devastating flooding that killed at least 51 people, including 15 children.
The total number of missing people is not yet clear, but officials say that 27 of them are girls who had been attending Camp Mystic, a Christian youth camp located along the River Guadalupe in Kerr County, the area worst affected by the flood.
The river rose more than 20 feet in less than two hours overnight into the July 4 holiday.
Drone footage shows extent of deadly Texas flooding – video
The flooding in Kerr County killed at least 43 people, including 15 children, and at least eight people died in nearby counties, including Travis County and Tom Green County.
Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads.
Authorities said about 850 people had been rescued, with more than 1,700 people involved in the search-and-rescue operation.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott vowed that authorities will work around the clock and said new areas were being searched as the water receded. He declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state.
In a post on X, he wrote that Camp Mystic was“horrendously ravaged in ways unlike I’ve seen in any natural disaster” and vowed that rescuers would find “every girl who was in those cabins”.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates on the floods throughout the day.
Furniture lie scattered inside a cabin at Camp Mystic after deadly flooding in Kerr County. Photograph: Sergio Flores/Reuters
Key events
The father of Blair, 13, and BrookeHarber, 11, confirmed to CNN yesterday that his daughters had died in the Texas flooding after having gone missing in Kerr County.
RJ Harber told CNN that Blair “was a gifted student and had a generous kind heart” and that Brooke “was like a light in any room, people gravitated to her and she made them laugh and enjoy the moment”.
Neither Blair or Brooke were at Camp Mystic when they went missing.
Questions have arose as to why the severity of the flooding in the middle of the night on the Fourth of July holiday caught many officials by surprise.
Here is an extract from a story by my colleagues Oliver Milman, José OlivaresandRobert Mackey who have looked into the preparations for the flood and examined how federal policy may have impacted local projection capabilities:
Officials defended their preparations for severe weather and their response but said they had not expected such an intense downpour that was, in effect, the equivalent of months’ worth of rain for the area.
One National Weather Service (NWS) forecast this week had called for only 3-6in (76-152mm) of rain, said Kidd, of the Texas division of emergency management.
“It did not predict the amount of rain that we saw,” he said.
Saturday’s deaths renewed questions about whether it was wise for the Trump administration to implement deep budget and job cuts at the NWS – among other federal government agencies – since his second presidency began in January.
Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old Christian girls camp, had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flood, according to Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick.
Early Friday morning, shortly after the deluge hit, over 100 game wardens and an aviation group tried to access the camp, but they weren’t able to enter to start rescuing children until after midday, CNN reports.
One of the girls attending the camp, Renee Smajstrla, who was nine years old, was confirmed to be among the dead by her uncle.
“Renee has been found and while not the outcome we prayed for, the social media outreach likely assisted the first responders in helping to identify her so quickly,” Shawn Salta wrote on Facebook. “We are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life.”
A Sheriff’s deputy pauses while combing through the banks of the Guadalupe River near Camp Mystic. Photograph: Julio Cortez/AP
Camp Mystic said in an email to parents of the campers that if they had not been contacted directly, their child had been accounted for.
Another girls’ camp in the area, Heart O’ the Hills, said on its website that co-owner Jane Ragsdale had died in the flood but no campers had been present as it was between sessions.
Search for missing continues with at least 51 people killed, including 15 children
We are restarting our live coverage of the devastating Texas floods.
Hundreds of rescuers are desperately searching for people missing in central Texas, after torrential rains caused devastating flooding that killed at least 51 people, including 15 children.
The total number of missing people is not yet clear, but officials say that 27 of them are girls who had been attending Camp Mystic, a Christian youth camp located along the River Guadalupe in Kerr County, the area worst affected by the flood.
The river rose more than 20 feet in less than two hours overnight into the July 4 holiday.
Drone footage shows extent of deadly Texas flooding – video
The flooding in Kerr County killed at least 43 people, including 15 children, and at least eight people died in nearby counties, including Travis County and Tom Green County.
Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads.
Authorities said about 850 people had been rescued, with more than 1,700 people involved in the search-and-rescue operation.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott vowed that authorities will work around the clock and said new areas were being searched as the water receded. He declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state.
In a post on X, he wrote that Camp Mystic was“horrendously ravaged in ways unlike I’ve seen in any natural disaster” and vowed that rescuers would find “every girl who was in those cabins”.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates on the floods throughout the day.
Furniture lie scattered inside a cabin at Camp Mystic after deadly flooding in Kerr County. Photograph: Sergio Flores/Reuters
A devastating flash flood has torn through Texas in the United States, killing dozens, including children, and leaving many others missing.
Search and rescue teams are working around the clock, deploying helicopters, boats, and drones to search for survivors, some stranded on trees and areas isolated by destroyed roads, and to recover victims’ bodies.
Camp Mystic, a Christian girls’ summer camp along a river in Kerr County, suffered the most damage, with more than two dozen campers still unaccounted for. The picturesque landscape, with its shallow rivers winding through hills and valleys, creates ideal conditions for deadly flash floods, making it one of the most flood-prone US regions.
In the early hours of July 4, 2025, floodwaters surged through an area about 112km (70 miles) west of San Antonio that houses summer camps and small communities. At least 50 people have been killed so far, while 27 girls from one camp are still missing.
The deluge began when heavy rainfall sent water rushing down hillsides into creeks, which then overwhelmed the Guadalupe River.
By Saturday, rescue personnel searched through a devastated landscape of twisted trees, overturned vehicles, and mud-covered debris in an increasingly urgent effort to find survivors. Authorities have not specified the total number of missing people beyond the children from Camp Mystic.
The powerful floodwaters rose 26 feet (8 metres) on the Guadalupe in just 45 minutes before dawn on Friday, sweeping away homes and vehicles. The rains continued on Saturday, with flash flood warnings and watches remaining in effect.
Death toll from Texas flooding rises to nearly 70, officials say
The death toll due from the Texas floods has risen to nearly 70 overall on Sunday, with 59 people dead in Kerr County, officials said. The additional numbers are from outlying areas.
The number of missing girls from Camp Mystic has gone down to 11, from an original 27 missing.
Key events
The National Weather Service has extended its flood watch through 7 p.m. central time for central Texas.
The Service warns that additional rainfall of two-to-four inches are possible, with “isolated pockets of 10 inches” also possible. “It is very difficult to pinpoint where exactly the isolated heavy amounts will occur in this pattern,” the National Weather Service posted on X.
Kerr County officials said that, as of 9 a.m. central time on Sunday, 38 adults and 21 children have died in the county due to the deadly flooding. Eighteen adults and four children have not been identified.
The remaining dead are from outlying areas. There are a total of nearly 70 dead.
There are 11 Camp Mystic campers and one counselor still missing, officials said.
Death toll from Texas flooding rises to nearly 70, officials say
The death toll due from the Texas floods has risen to nearly 70 overall on Sunday, with 59 people dead in Kerr County, officials said. The additional numbers are from outlying areas.
The number of missing girls from Camp Mystic has gone down to 11, from an original 27 missing.
A MAGA congressional candidate in Georgia shared strange posts on social media, claiming that the weather is being manipulated, as search and rescue efforts continue in Texas after deadly flooding.
Kandiss Taylor, who is running for Congress in Georgia for the 2026 elections, posted on X: “Fake weather. Fake hurricanes. Fake flooding. Fake. Fake. Fake.”
In another post, Taylor doubled-down, by sharing conspiracy theories about natural disasters: “This isn’t just ‘climate change.’ It’s cloud seeding, geoengineering, & manipulation. If fake weather causes real tragedy, that’s murder.”
X users responded to Taylor, slamming her for her tweets.
She later said that her posts were about legislation proposed by right-wing MAGA and conspiracy-theorist congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene that would prohibit “the injection, release, or dispersion of chemicals or substances into the atmosphere for the express purpose of altering weather.”
“I wasn’t talking about Texas with this post,” Taylor said. “Liberal left winged media twisted what I said to make it about Texas.”
The longtime owner and director of Camp Mystic, a Christian girls camp, died while trying to save campers, a local publication reports.
Dick Eastland was “kind and welcoming” and is described as a father figure to campers.
Camp Mystic was established in 1926 along the Guadalupe River in central Texas nearly a century ago “to provide young girls with a wholesome Christian atmosphere,” Reuters reports.
Dick and his wife Tweety Eastland, are the third generation of the family that bought the camp in 1939, the camp website says. There are still 27 girls missing from Camp Mystic.
“[Eastland] was family to so many campers,” wrote Paige Sumner in the Kerrville Daily Times. “It doesn’t surprise me at all that his last act of kindness and sacrifice was working to save the lives of campers.”
People in Texas describe the terrifying moments after deadly flooding swept through the central part of the state. The death toll has risen to 59 people.
One man describes him and his wife being swept by the water and holding onto a tree until rescuers arrived to help. “It was scary, it was really scary,” he said.
The Guardian’s video team produced this piece on people caught up in the floods.
People recounted their ordeal after deadly flooding swept through central Texas on Friday morning.
Death toll from Texas flooding rises to 59, lieutenant governor says
The death toll from the flooding in Texas has risen to 59, according to the county’s Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (up from the previous total of 51). More details soon…
Here is a graphic showing where Camp Mystic is located within the state of Texas:
A graphic showing where Camp Mystic is located within Texas.A graphic showing where Camp Mystic is located within Texas.
Officials said this morning the tally of children missing from the Christian youth camp for girls stood at 27.
Officials have said waters in some parts of Texas are starting to recede to where they were before the storm.
The Guadalupe River near Kerrville – which surged by more than 20 feet within 90 minutes during the downpour — is, according to CNN, back down to just a foot or two higher than its level before the flood.
The hills along the Guadalupe River in central Texas are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families came to swim and enjoy the outdoors, Associated Press reports. The area is especially popular around the July Fourth holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing.
“We don’t even want to begin to estimate at this time,” Kerrville city manager Dalton Rice said earlier.
Search crews were facing harsh conditions while “looking in every possible location,” he said.
Jonathan Porter, the chief meteorologist at AccuWeather, a private weather forecasting company that uses National Weather Service data, said it appeared evacuations and other proactive measures could have been undertaken to reduce the risk of fatalities.
In a statement, he said:
People, businesses, and governments should take action based on flash flood warnings that are issued, regardless of the rainfall amounts that have occurred or are forecast.
As we mentioned in a previous post, local officials in Texas have said they had not expected such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months’ worth of rain for the area.
“We know we get rains. We know the river rises,” said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county’s top elected official. “But nobody saw this coming.”
As much as 10 inches of intense rainfall fell within a few hours overnight in central Kerr County on Friday, causing the Guadalupe River’s banks to burst at about 4am local time.
Pope Leo has sent condolences to the families of devastating floods in Texas which killed at least 51 people and left nearly 30 others missing, many of them children.
Following Angelus prayers, the pontiff said:
I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in a summer camp in the disaster caused by flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas. We pray for them.
Aftermath of Texas floods – in pictures
Here are some of the latest images coming out from Texas after devastating floods forced authorities to launch one of the largest search-and-rescue efforts in the state’s recent history:
Houses and cars are partially submerged in flood waters in an aerial view near Kerrville, Texas. Photograph: US Coast Guard/ReutersA drone view shows the swollen San Gabriel river, in Georgetown, Texas, amid the deluge. Photograph: Adam Grumbo/Reuters Kyle Hammock stands in front of his damaged home on the bank of Guadalupe River after clearing debris from inside his home. Photograph: Jim Vondruska/Getty ImagesA volunteer rescue searcher speaks on the phone after deadly flooding in Kerr County. Photograph: Sergio Flores/ReutersA child’s baseball helmet lies among flood debris along TX-39 near Hunt, Texas. Photograph: Eric Vryn/Getty Images
What has the federal response to the Texas floods been?
US president Donald Trump addressed the deadly floods on Saturday. On his Truth Social platform, he said his administration was working with state and local officials on the ground in Texas to respond “to the tragic flooding” that occurred a day before.
“Our Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, will be there shortly,” Trump wrote.
Speaking at a press conference alongside Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Saturday, Noem pledged that the Trump administration would use all available resources to help the state in its rescue efforts, including by bringing in more fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to aid with operations.
She said the government would make it a priority to upgrade National Weather Service technology used to deliver warnings.
Noem said:
We know that everyone wants more warning time, and that’s why we’re working to upgrade the technology that’s been neglected for far too long to make sure families have as much advance notice as possible.
Kristi Noem speaks with Texas Gov Greg Abbott about ongoing search and rescue efforts at a press conference in Kerrville, Texas. Photograph: Rodolfo Gonzalez/AP
For context: Some state and local officials have said the NWS failed to provide accurate forecasts ahead of Friday’s destructive flooding.
“The original forecast that we received Wednesday from the National Weather Service predicted 3-6 inches of rain in the Concho Valley and 4-8 inches in the Hill Country,” Texas emergency management chief W. Nim Kidd told journalists on Friday. “The amount of rain that fell at this specific location was never in any of those forecasts.”
The father of Blair, 13, and BrookeHarber, 11, confirmed to CNN yesterday that his daughters had died in the Texas flooding after having gone missing in Kerr County.
RJ Harber told CNN that Blair “was a gifted student and had a generous kind heart” and that Brooke “was like a light in any room, people gravitated to her and she made them laugh and enjoy the moment”.
Neither Blair or Brooke were at Camp Mystic when they went missing.
Questions have arose as to why the severity of the flooding in the middle of the night on the Fourth of July holiday caught many officials by surprise.
Here is an extract from a story by my colleagues Oliver Milman, José OlivaresandRobert Mackey who have looked into the preparations for the flood and examined how federal policy may have impacted local projection capabilities:
Officials defended their preparations for severe weather and their response but said they had not expected such an intense downpour that was, in effect, the equivalent of months’ worth of rain for the area.
One National Weather Service (NWS) forecast this week had called for only 3-6in (76-152mm) of rain, said Kidd, of the Texas division of emergency management.
“It did not predict the amount of rain that we saw,” he said.
Saturday’s deaths renewed questions about whether it was wise for the Trump administration to implement deep budget and job cuts at the NWS – among other federal government agencies – since his second presidency began in January.
Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old Christian girls camp, had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flood, according to Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick.
Early Friday morning, shortly after the deluge hit, over 100 game wardens and an aviation group tried to access the camp, but they weren’t able to enter to start rescuing children until after midday, CNN reports.
One of the girls attending the camp, Renee Smajstrla, who was nine years old, was confirmed to be among the dead by her uncle.
“Renee has been found and while not the outcome we prayed for, the social media outreach likely assisted the first responders in helping to identify her so quickly,” Shawn Salta wrote on Facebook. “We are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life.”
A Sheriff’s deputy pauses while combing through the banks of the Guadalupe River near Camp Mystic. Photograph: Julio Cortez/AP
Camp Mystic said in an email to parents of the campers that if they had not been contacted directly, their child had been accounted for.
Another girls’ camp in the area, Heart O’ the Hills, said on its website that co-owner Jane Ragsdale had died in the flood but no campers had been present as it was between sessions.
Search for missing continues with at least 51 people killed, including 15 children
We are restarting our live coverage of the devastating Texas floods.
Hundreds of rescuers are desperately searching for people missing in central Texas, after torrential rains caused devastating flooding that killed at least 51 people, including 15 children.
The total number of missing people is not yet clear, but officials say that 27 of them are girls who had been attending Camp Mystic, a Christian youth camp located along the River Guadalupe in Kerr County, the area worst affected by the flood.
The river rose more than 20 feet in less than two hours overnight into the July 4 holiday.
Drone footage shows extent of deadly Texas flooding – video
The flooding in Kerr County killed at least 43 people, including 15 children, and at least eight people died in nearby counties, including Travis County and Tom Green County.
Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads.
Authorities said about 850 people had been rescued, with more than 1,700 people involved in the search-and-rescue operation.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott vowed that authorities will work around the clock and said new areas were being searched as the water receded. He declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state.
In a post on X, he wrote that Camp Mystic was“horrendously ravaged in ways unlike I’ve seen in any natural disaster” and vowed that rescuers would find “every girl who was in those cabins”.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates on the floods throughout the day.
Furniture lie scattered inside a cabin at Camp Mystic after deadly flooding in Kerr County. Photograph: Sergio Flores/Reuters
The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, the Dalai Lama, turns 90 on Sunday after a week of celebrations by followers during which he riled China again and spoke about his hope to live beyond 130 and reincarnate after dying.
The Nobel laureate is regarded as one of the world’s most influential religious leaders, with a following that extends well beyond Buddhism, but not by Beijing which calls him a separatist and has sought to bring the faith under its control.
Fleeing his native Tibet in 1959 in the wake of a failed uprising against Chinese rule, the 14th Dalai Lama along with hundreds of thousands of Tibetans took shelter in India and has since advocated for a peaceful “Middle Way” to seek autonomy and religious freedom for Tibetan people.
Thousands of followers from around the world, celebrities, and officials from the United States and India, will attend his birthday celebrations in Dharamshala, the small Indian town in the foothills of the Himalayas where the Dalai Lama lives.
During the celebrations, which will include cultural performances and remarks by long-time follower and Hollywood star Richard Gere as well as federal Indian ministers, the Dalai Lama is scheduled to deliver a speech.
The preceding week of celebrations was particularly important for Tibetan Buddhists as the Dalai Lama had previously mentioned that he would speak about his succession at his 90th birthday.
On Wednesday, he allayed their concerns about the future of the institution of the Dalai Lama by saying that he would reincarnate as the leader of the faith upon his death and that his non-profit institution, the Gaden Phodrang Trust, had the sole authority to recognise his successor.
China has said that the succession will have to be approved by its leaders.
The United States, which is seeking to counter the rise of China, has called on Beijing to cease what it describes as interference in the succession of the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan Buddhist lamas.
Richard Gere joins Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday celebrations
Thousands of Tibetan Buddhists streamed into India’s Himalayan town of Dharamshala on Sunday to celebrate the 90th birthday of the Dalai Lama.
Ferocious monsoon rains did not dampen the spirits as the Tibetan spiritual leader appeared in traditional robes and a flowing yellow wrap, smiling and walking with the aid of two monks.
The hilltop temples echoed with chants, while dance troupes performed with clanging cymbals and bagpipes.
Indian ministers, long-time followers including Hollywood actor Richard Gere and thousands of devotees gathered to honour the exiled leader, revered as an advocate for peace.
Reuters
The Dalai Lama appeared in traditional robes and a flowing yellow wrap, smiling and walking with the aid of two monks
EPA/Shutterstock
Long-time follower and Hollywood star Richard Gere joined the celebrations
Gere took to the podium at the celebrations with a smile on his face to declare what a “joyous, joyous day” it was “to celebrate this extraordinary life.” He then embraced the Dalai Lama, who he said “totally embodies selflessness”, and kissed his hand.
Sunday’s festivities mark the culmination of a week of long-life prayers that began on Monday, aligned with his birthday on the Tibetan lunar calendar.
At a ceremony on Saturday, the Dalai Lama assured followers of his “great physical condition” and said he would live for another 40 years – to 130 – two decades beyond his previous prediction.
Though he said he typically avoided birthday celebrations, the Dalai Lama thanked followers for using the occasion to reflect on peace of mind and compassion. He referred to himself as a “simple Buddhist monk” and said he had no regrets as he looked back on his life at 90.
Reuters
Tibetans perform a traditional mask dance in front of a cut-out of the Dalai Lama
“While it is important to work for material development, it is vital to focus on achieving peace of mind through cultivating a good heart and by being compassionate, not just toward near and dear ones, but toward everyone,” he said in his birthday message.
This week, the Dalai Lama confirmed plans for a successor, putting to rest long-standing speculation over whether the 600-year-old institution would end with him.
According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the Dalai Lama is reincarnated after death – a process deeply rooted in spiritual customs, not political authority.
Reuters
Tibetan girls in traditional attire perform during the celebrations
Living in exile since fleeing Chinese rule in 1959, the Dalai Lama has previously said his reincarnation will take place in the “free world”, meaning outside of China.
But Beijing, which considers him a separatist, swiftly rejected his authority to determine a successor.
Chinese officials insist that any succession must follow Chinese laws, religious rituals and historical conventions – and ultimately be approved by the government in Beijing.
EPA/Shutterstock
The Dalai Lama cuts his cake
The announcement has reignited fears among Tibetans in exile that China will attempt to name a successor to tighten control over Tibet, the region it occupied in 1950 and has ruled ever since.
The Dalai Lama has long guided the Tibetan diaspora in their struggle for autonomy and resistance to Chinese domination.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended birthday wishes on Sunday, calling him an “enduring symbol of love, compassion, patience and moral discipline”.
Former US President Barack Obama also sent greetings, calling him “the youngest 90-year-old I know” and thanking him for his friendship.
Actor Richard Gere, right, kisses the hand of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at an event celebrating the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday in Dharamshala, India, Sunday.
Ashwini Bhatia/AP
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Ashwini Bhatia/AP
DHARAMSHALA, India — The Dalai Lama turned 90 on Sunday surrounded by thousands of followers, who thronged the Himalayan town of Dharamshala, where the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism has been living in exile since fleeing Chinese rule in Tibet in 1959.
Sitting before a packed audience that included hundreds of red-robed monks and nuns who braved incessant rain to see him, he said: “When I look back on my life, I see that I have not wasted it at all.”
“I live my life in the service of other sentient beings,” he added.
Dressed in a traditional robe and a flowing yellow wrap, the Dalai Lama was escorted to the temple courtyard by a group of monks, as Tibetan artists beat drums and played bagpipes while senior lamas struck cymbals in his honor. The head of the democratically elected Tibetan government-in-exile, Penpa Tsering, raised the Tibetan flag as the musicians played the Tibetan anthem.
Recognized worldwide in his red robes and wide smile, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, describes himself as a “simple Buddhist monk.” But millions of Tibetan Buddhists worship him as living manifestations of Chenrezig, the Buddhist god of compassion.
Celebration capped a week of birthday events
The birthday party capped a week of celebrations, during which the Nobel Peace Prize winner said he plans to reincarnate after his death, ending years of speculation that he might be the last person to hold the role. He also said that the next Dalai Lama should be and recognized as per past Buddhist traditions.
On Saturday, the Dalai Lama said he hoped to live until the age of 130.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, in yellow robe, is helped by attendant monks as he arrives to preside over an event during which Tibetan exiles prayed for his longevity, a day before his 90th birthday, in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 5, 2025.
Ashwini Bhatia/AP
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Ashwini Bhatia/AP
In the past, the Dalai Lama has said his successor will be born in the “free world” — outside China. Many exiled Tibetans, however, fear China will name its own successor to the Dalai Lama to bolster control over Tibet, a territory it poured troops into in 1950 and has ruled ever since.
China, which views the Dalai Lama as a separatist, has repeatedly said that it alone has the authority to approve the next spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. It also says it will reject anyone chosen without Beijing’s consent.
World leaders and celebrities sent wishes
Dignitaries including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, sent their wishes to the Tibetan leader.
Modi said the Dalai Lama has “been an enduring symbol of love, compassion, patience and moral discipline,” while Rubio said the Buddhist spiritual leader “continues to inspire people by embodying a message of unity, peace and compassion.”
The celebration was also attended by hundreds of followers from around the world including Hollywood movie star Richard Gere.
“He is the most extraordinary man to ever walk on this planet,” said Gere, as the crowd broke into a rapturous applause.
In a birthday message on his website on Saturday, the Dalai Lama reiterated that he was “just a simple Buddhist monk” and that he will “continue to focus on my commitments of promoting human values religious harmony.”
Devotees in their traditional dress wait for the arrival of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to attend an event celebrating his 90th birthday in Dharamshala, India, Sunday.
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Celebrations were also held in Kathmandu, Nepal, where hundreds of Tibetan refugees, monks and foreign diplomats marked the day with Buddhist prayers, chanting and dances.
The Dalai Lama was thrust onto the Tibetan throne in 1937. Soon after, Chinese troops swept into his homeland in the 1950s and crushed a failed uprising, forcing him to escape with thousands of his followers to India where he established a government in exile.
Since then, he has spent more than seven decades in exile and sustained a nation in exile by managing to build a community that’s kept the Tibetan culture and identity alive. The Dalai Lama has also become one of the world’s most recognizable figures while leading a Tibetan diaspora through their struggle for autonomy and opposition of China’s control of Tibet.
Calling himself a “simple Buddhist monk” who usually didn’t celebrate birthdays, the Dalai Lama marked his 90th on Sunday by praying for peace after China insisted it would have the final say on who succeeded the Tibetan spiritual leader.
Chanting of red-robed monks and nuns rang out from Himalayan hilltop forested temples in India, home to the Dalai Lama since he and thousands of other Tibetans fled Chinese troops who crushed an uprising in their capital Lhasa in 1959.
“I am just a simple Buddhist monk; I don’t normally engage in birthday celebrations,” the Dalai Lama said in a message, thanking those marking it with him for using the opportunity “to cultivate peace of mind and compassion”.
Dressed in traditional robes and a flowing yellow wrap, he walked with the aid of two monks while flashing his trademark beaming smile to thousands of followers.
Beijing condemns the Nobel Peace Prize winner — who has led a lifelong campaign for greater autonomy for Tibet, a vast high-altitude plateau — as a rebel and separatist.
Alongside the celebrations, however, is the worry for Tibetans in exile that China will name its successor to bolster control over the territory it poured troops into in 1950 and has ruled ever since.
That raises the likelihood of rival challengers to the post; one by self-declared atheist Beijing, the other by the Dalai Lama’s office based in neighbouring India, a regional rival of China.
‘Good heart’
The celebrations on Sunday are the culmination of days of long-life prayers for Tenzin Gyatso, who followers believe is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, a man whose moral teachings and idiosyncratic humour have made him one of the world’s most popular religious leaders.
“While it is important to work for material development, it is vital to focus on achieving peace of mind through cultivating a good heart and by being compassionate, not just toward near and dear ones, but toward everyone,” he said in his birthday message.
“Through this, you will contribute to making the world a better place.”
The celebrations also included his key announcement that, after being inundated with messages of support from fellow Tibetans both inside and in exile, the spiritual institution would continue after his death.
He said he had received appeals from followers from across the Himalayan region, Mongolia and parts of Russia and China.
The seemingly esoteric matters of reincarnation have real-world political consequences, with Tibetans fearing his death will mark a major setback in his push for more autonomy for the Himalayan region.
The Dalai Lama said his India-based office alone would “exclusively” identify that successor — prompting a swift and sharp reply from China that the reincarnation “must be approved by the central government” in Beijing.
China said the succession would be carried out “by drawing lots from a golden urn”, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters on Wednesday.
That urn is held by Beijing, and the Dalai Lama has warned that, when used dishonestly, it lacks “any spiritual quality”.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered effusive birthday greetings on Sunday, calling the Dalai Lama an “enduring symbol of love”.
India and China are intense rivals competing for influence across South Asia, but have sought to repair ties after a 2020 border clash.
‘Freedom and dignity’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said in a statement that Washington was “committed to promoting respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Tibetans”.
Among the crowds attending the celebrations was Hollywood star Richard Gere, a longtime backer of the Tibetans in exile, who on Sunday said the Dalai Lama “totally embodies selflessness, complete love and compassion and wisdom”.
Messages of support were also given by former US presidents Bill Clinton and George W Bush, as well as Barack Obama, who said the Dalai Lama had shown what it means to “speak up for freedom and dignity”.
The ceremony ended with the Dalai Lama eating a slice of cake and thousands singing “happy birthday”.
No details have been released for the future succession.
All so far have been men or boys, often identified as toddlers and taking up the role only as teenagers.
The current Dalai Lama, himself identified in 1937, has said that if there is a successor it will come from the “free world” outside China’s control.
In a speech to followers on Sunday, the Dalai Lama said his practice of Buddhism meant he had dedicated his life towards seeking compassion.
“I’m now 90 and… when I reflect on my life, I see that I have not wasted my life at all”, he said, speaking in Tibetan.
“I would not have regrets at the time of my death; rather I would be able to die very peacefully.”
