By SHEIKH SAALIQ

DHARAMSHALA, India (AP) — Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday said the centuries-old Tibetan Buddhist institution will continue after his death, ending years of speculation that started when he indicated that he might be the last person to hold the role.

Speaking at prayer celebrations ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism said that the next Dalai Lama should be found and recognized as per past Buddhist traditions, while signalling that China should stay away from the process of identifying his successor.

The Dalai Lama’s succession plan is politically consequential for most Tibetans who oppose China’s tight control of Tibet and have struggled to keep their identity alive, in their homeland or in exile. It is also profound for Tibetan Buddhists who worship him as a living manifestation of Chenrezig, the Buddhist god of compassion.

The decision, however, is expected to irk China, which has repeatedly said that it alone has the authority to approve the next religious leader. It insists the reincarnated figure must be found in China’s Tibetan areas, giving Communist authorities power over who is chosen.

Many observers believe there eventually will be rival Dalai Lamas — one appointed by Beijing, and one by senior monks loyal to the current Dalai Lama.

Tenzin Gyatso became the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama in 1940. He fled Tibet when Chinese troops crushed an uprising in the Tibetan capital Lhasa in 1959 and has been living in the town of Dharamshala in India since then, helping establish a democratic government-in-exile while also traveling the world to advocate autonomy for the Tibetan people.

Tibetan Buddhists believe the Dalai Lama can choose the body into which he is reincarnated, as has happened on 14 occasions since the creation of the institution in 1587. He has reiterated in the past that his successor would be born outside China.

The Dalai Lama laid out his succession plan in a recorded statement that was televised at a religious gathering of Buddhist monks in Dharamshala. He said the process of finding and recognizing his reincarnation lies solely with the Gaden Phodrang Trust — a non-profit he founded in 2015 that oversees matters related to the spiritual leader and the institute of the Dalai Lama.

“No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter,” he said, adding that the search for a future Dalai Lama should be carried out in “accordance with past tradition.”

Asked Wednesday about the Dalai Lama’s announcement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at a daily news briefing said “the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must adhere to the principles of domestic search in China” and “approval by the central government.”

Mao said the process must “follow religious rituals and historical settings, and be handled in accordance with national laws and regulations.”

Separately, Amnesty International’s China Director, Sarah Brooks, in a statement Wednesday said the efforts by Chinese authorities to control the selection of the next Dalai Lama was a “direct assault” on the right to freedom of religion.

“Tibetan Buddhists, like all faith communities, must be able to choose their spiritual leaders without coercion or interference by the authorities,” Brooks said.

The Dalai Lama has often urged his followers to reject anyone chosen by Beijing. The self-proclaimed Tibetan government-in-exile he once headed before relinquishing his political role in 2011 also supports this stance.

Penpa Tsering, the president of the government-in-exile, said Tibetans from around the world made “an earnest request with single-minded devotion” that the position of the Dalai Lama should continue “for the benefit of all sentient beings in general and Buddhist in particular.”

“In response to this overwhelming supplication, His Holiness has shown infinite compassion and finally agreed to accept our appeal on this special occasion of his 90th birthday,” he said at a press conference.

Tsering, however, warned China not to meddle in the process of the Dalai Lama’s succession, saying it is a “unique Tibetan Buddhist tradition.”

“We not only strongly condemn the People’s Republic of China’s usage of reincarnation subject for their political gain, and will never accept it,” he said.

The search for a Dalai Lama’s reincarnation begins only upon the incumbent’s death.

In the past, the successor has been identified by senior monastic disciples, based on spiritual signs and visions, and it can take several years after the next Dalai Lama is identified as a baby and groomed to take the reins.

Associated Press writer Christopher Bodeen in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed to this report.