Boy who disappeared aged six after he was declared a reincarnation of Tibetan Buddhism's Panchen Lama is a college graduate 'living a normal life', China claims 25 years later

A boy who disappeared 25 years ago after being picked by the Dalai Lama as Tibetan Buddhism's second-highest figure is now a college graduate with a normal life and a stable job, China has revealed.

Very little information has been given about Gedhun Choekyi Nyima or his family since he went missing at the age of six - shortly after being named as the 11th Panchen Lama.

China, which claims that Tibet is part of its territory, selected another boy to the position six months after Gedhun Choekyi Nyima vanished.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday that Gedhun Choekyi Nyima 'received free compulsory education when he was a child, passed the college entrance examination and now has a job.' 

Zhao said neither the now-31-year-old man or his family wishes to be disturbed in their 'current normal lives.' No other details were given.

Beijing's own Panchen Lama, named Gyaltsen Norbu, is rarely seen and believed to spend most of his time in the Chinese capital city. 

He is generally viewed as a political figure under Beijing's control and shares none of the Dalai Lama's global fame.

Beijing's own Panchen Lama, named Gyaltsen Norbu, is rarely seen and believed to spend most of his time in the capital city. The picture from 2018 shows Norbu shakes hands with a fellow delegate before the closing session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

China's foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian (pictured on May 13) said Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the original Panchen Lama, 'received free compulsory education when he was a child, passed the college entrance examination and now has a job' at a press briefing on Tuesday

The tussle between Beijing and the Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in 1959, concerns who will determine the future of Tibetan Buddhism.

The religion still commands heavy sway over the people of the Himalayan region.

China says the region has been its territory for centuries, but many Tibetans believe it was largely independent.

Who is the Panchen Lama? 

The Panchen Lama is the second most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism.

His spiritual authority is only exceeded by the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959 and formed a self-declared government-in-exile in India.

The Dalai Lama named the original Panchen Lama with the help of Tibetan lamas trained in reading omens and signs.

But China claims the only way to choose the reincarnation is by pulling lots from a golden urn.

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Tourists are pictured taking photos of the Potala Palace beneath a security camera in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, on September 19, 2015

On 17 May, 1995, a six-year-old Tibetan boy, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, was appointed as the 11th Panchen Lama by the Dalai Lama. He disappeared three days later and has not been seen since.

There is only one photo believed to be of a young Nyima, and little is known about his whereabouts.

Beijing appointed its own Panchen Lama in November of the same year. 

Gedhun Choekyi Nyima's disappearance by calling on Beijing on Sunday to account for his whereabouts.

'China's abduction of the Panchen Lama and forcible denial of his religious identity and right to practice in his monastery is not only a violation of religious freedom but also a gross violation of human rights,' the Tibetan parliament in northern India, known as the Kashag, said in a statement.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also issued a statement on Monday calling on China to 'immediately make public the Panchen Lama's whereabouts and to uphold its own constitution and international commitments to promote religious freedom for all persons.'

Tibet's self-declared government-in-exile in India marked the 25th anniversary of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima's disappearance by calling on Beijing to account for his whereabouts +7

Tibet's self-declared government-in-exile in India marked the 25th anniversary of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima's disappearance by calling on Beijing to account for his whereabouts

Tibetan women living-in-exile and members of the Tibetan Women's Association distribute butter for lighting the lamps as they request people to light butter lamps in their homes to mark the 31st birthday of Panchen lama in McLeod Ganj, near Dharamsala, India, on April 25 +7

Tibetan women living-in-exile and members of the Tibetan Women's Association distribute butter for lighting the lamps as they request people to light butter lamps in their homes to mark the 31st birthday of Panchen lama in McLeod Ganj, near Dharamsala, India, on April 25

The Dalai Lama named the original Panchen Lama with the help of Tibetan lamas trained in reading portents and signs. 

China claims the reincarnate can only be chosen by pulling lots from a golden urn, a method it used to pick its own candidate under the control of the officially atheistic ruling Communist Party.

Traditionally, the Panchen Lama has served as teacher and aide to the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism's highest leader who is now 84 and is accused by Beijing of seeking independence for Tibet. 

The Dalai Lama denies that and says he advocates greater autonomy for the region.