Report Says China Targeting Dalai Lama With Smear Campaign
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Chinese authorities have launched a campaign of “sexual insinuation and reputational manipulation” against the Dalai Lama as part of a broader effort to undermine his global influence, according to a report published Wednesday.
An editorial in the Taipei Times said the campaign reflects a pattern of tactics used by authoritarian governments when facing symbolic figures who command global moral authority but cannot easily be neutralized through traditional political or military pressure.
The report said the latest controversy followed the Dalai Lama’s recent Grammy Award win for his spoken word album Meditations, marking the first Grammy for the Tibetan spiritual leader. Chinese officials quickly condemned the recognition, accusing the organizers of using the award platform for “anti-China manipulation.”
Shortly after the announcement, a rumor began circulating online linking the Dalai Lama to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the report said. According to the article, the claim originated from Russian state-controlled broadcaster RT and was rapidly amplified by pro-China media outlets.
The allegations were later flagged as false by Grok, an artificial intelligence fact-checking tool, which said there was no credible evidence supporting the claims.
The report said the episode fits a broader pattern of attempts to damage the Dalai Lama’s reputation through coordinated online campaigns.
In 2023, pro-China internet activists often referred to as the “50 Cent Army” circulated a selectively edited video from a public event in Dharamsala, India, which critics said was intended to portray the Dalai Lama in an inappropriate manner. Tibetan representatives said the footage was taken out of context.
“These cases illustrate a recurring strategy of reputational attack rather than substantive political engagement,” the report said. “China’s targetting of the Dalai Lama highlights how modern authoritarian regimes confront symbolic threats that cannot be neutralised through conventional coercive tools.”
According to the article, the Dalai Lama represents a unique challenge for Beijing because he holds no military or economic power but commands significant moral authority worldwide.
“First, he wields no material power, neither economically nor militarily, but instead commands moral and symbolic authority, which is inherently resistant to coercion,” the report said. “Second, his global status is derived not only from his role as a spiritual leader, but also from his former position as the political leader of Tibet and a central figure in the Tibetan exile movement.”
The report added that international recognition — including cultural honors such as a Grammy Award — directly challenges Chinese state narratives by validating alternative sources of authority.
“Symbolic events, regardless of their magnitude, carry disproportionate significance in authoritarian regimes, where legitimacy rests on narrative control rather than electoral consent,” the article said. “When a regime cannot co-opt or control international cultural institutions, it adapts by shifting from suppression to strategic distortion.” (Source: IANS)
