China Forced Nepal to Cancel an International Conference on Tibetan Studies

In late July, a Chinese religious official paid a visit to Nepal, which subsequently prompted the cancellation of a major international conference on Tibetan studies scheduled to take place in Kathmandu. The International Association for Tibetan Studies conference, set to convene from August 23-29, was officially halted on August 5 and subsequently transitioned to an online format. This abrupt cancellation was reportedly at the formal request of the Nepali government, citing "security concerns."

The IATS conference, a premier academic forum, aimed to gather scholars from 40 countries, including India, China, and the United States, to discuss Tibetan culture, history, language, and religion. However, many attendees had already arranged and paid for their travel costs to attend the event in Kathmandu. The conference had been in planning for four years, with Nepal assuming the hosting responsibility in 2022.

The cancellation of the conference revealed China's firm control over Tibetan Buddhism and its efforts to assert authority. Chinese officials had expressed concerns over pro-Tibet activists potentially using the conference platform for demonstrations. Interestingly, the Venerable Master Yinshun, a former vice president of the Buddhist Association of China and a prominent figure in Chinese politics, visited Nepal on July 29, leading to the withdrawal of participation from a dozen scholars associated with the Tibetan Policy Institute in India. This move was bolstered by diplomatic efforts by China's ambassador to Nepal, Zhang Maoming.

The cancellation aligns with Beijing's recent strategies to exert control over Nepal's engagement with Tibetan Buddhism. Earlier this year, China's ambassador, Zhang, had warned Nepal's Home Minister, Sudan Gurung, against any government-level participation in the oath-taking ceremony of Penpa Tsering, the highest executive authority of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).

The CTA functions as the government-in-exile for Tibetans worldwide, with around 91,000 Tibetans voting in the 2026 elections that saw Tsering elected. The Chinese Global Times even labeled the elections as "illegal" and the CTA as a "separatist organization."

This pressure on Nepal to control the narrative around Tibetan Buddhism is not limited to Nepal. China has been actively seeking to control narratives and perceptions related to Tibet globally. The succession of the 14th Dalai Lama, now 91 years old, poses a significant challenge for China, as Beijing insists that the selection of the Dalai Lama's successor should be determined by Chinese law.

The 14th Dalai Lama declared that the next Dalai Lama might be born in India, contradicting China's claim that the successor will be born in Chinese territory. This tension between China and the Dalai Lama's administration is further complicated by the cultural, historical, and geographical significance of the Himalayan region, where many locals are Tibetan Buddhists, and the Dalai Lama has a significant following.