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.
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