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(NewsNation) — China’s embassy in New Delhi says that the Dalai Lama’s succession is a thorn in relations between China and India.

The tension comes as the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, celebrated his 90th birthday earlier this month. He told followers he hoped to live for 130 years and would be reincarnated upon his death. 

Tibetans believe that the soul of any Buddhist monk is reincarnated after his death, but China says the Dalai Lama’s successor will have to be approved by its leaders. 

The Dalai Lama insists his successor will be chosen according to ancient Tibetan Buddhist tradition without interference from the Chinese government.  

The Dalai Lama has been living in exile in India since 1959, when an uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet failed. India is home to about 70,000 Tibetans and a Tibetan government-in-exile.

The current conflict highlights long-standing tensions over China’s control over Tibet. 

The Tibetan government in exile says over a million Tibetans have died as a result of the Chinese occupation of Tibet between 1959 and 1979. China disputes those numbers.