To Chinese authorities he is the 11th Panchen Lama of Tibet. To Tibetans he is a fake. And while Gyaltsen Norbu, the son of two Communist Party members, has become increasingly visible over the last two years - being photographed with senior Chinese officials and even visiting earthquake-stricken Kyegudo - questions over the whereabouts of the true Panchen Lama remain unresolved.

Last month John Powers of Australia National University wrote about the “crisis of legitimacy facing the PRC’s designated Panchen Lama” in his article Panchen Lama’s appointment to the CPPCC: No panacea for discontent

“During a visit to Tibet in 2003, I saw pilgrims from eastern parts of the region approach a vendor in Lhasa whose sign proclaimed that he was selling photos of the Panchen Lama, the second most influential reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama. A pilgrim picked one up and then contemptuously tossed it on the ground, saying, “It’s the fake one.”

John Powers’ article followed Gyaltsen Norbu’s appointment to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, which Powers sees a “an obvious attempt to raise his profile and enhance his legitimacy in the eyes of both Tibetans and Chinese”.

“The main obstacle to that goal,” he writes, “is that no Tibetan Buddhist will ever accept the idea that Gyaltsen Norbu - who was designated as Panchen Lama by non-Buddhist Communist Party officials who do not believe in reincarnation - has any legitimacy”.

In August 2007 the Chinese government announced new laws stating that all reincarnated lamas (tulkus) must have government approval. Journalists were quick to point out the peculiarity of an avowedly atheist regime announcing laws to control reincarnations. Nonetheless, the move signaled an ongoing agenda within the Communist Party to undermine and supplant the Tibetan religious hierarchy, thereby weakening the authority of legitimate Tibetan religious leaders.

There is little doubt that China will attempt to install a puppet Dalai Lama after the current fourteenth Dalai Lama’s demise, a move that would be utterly unacceptable to Tibetans.

While hardliners in Beijing continue to work to undermine the authority of the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan Buddhist leaders, commentators both inside and outside of China continue to point out that it would be far more effective to work constructively the Dalai Lama on a mutually agreeable solution to the current situation in Tibet. No other individual holds greater sway over the Tibetan people or has shown greater willingness to make compromises in search of a resolution.

The abduction of Gedhun Choekyi Nymia and continued attacks on the Dalai Lama are not only brutish affronts to the Tibetan people. As many China watchers agree, they may yet prove to be catastrophic misjudgements on the part of Chinese Government.

Gedhun Choekyi Nyima - the 11th Panchen Lama
On 17 May 1995 six-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family disappeared from their remote Tibetan village, abducted by Chinese authorities. Three days earlier the young boy had been recognized as the 11th incarnation of the Panchen Lama - Tibet’s second most important spiritual leader.

An international campaign began immediately for verifiable information on Gedhun Choekyi Nyima’s whereabouts and wellbeing. ATC understands that the Australian Government alone has pressed the Chinese Government on at least twelve occasions, including during each round of its annual human rights dialogue with China, during high level visits by Chinese Government officials, and through its Embassy in Beijing. China has resisted all requests from concerned governments, international bodies and the Tibetan community to prove its claim that Gehun Choekyi Nyima is “alive, well and living a normal life”. Last month Gedhun Choekyi Nyima turned 21.