The Dalai Lama announced Wednesday that the foundation he established in exile in India will name his successor in due course, prompting China to insist he had no role to play and that his replacement

The announcement comes after speculation around whether the Dalai Lama might be the last person to hold his role—one that remains a symbol of Tibetan identity.

The Dalai Lama has offered hints that he might diverge from the customs. He has said that his successor will be born in a free country, indicating that the next Dalai Lama could come from among Tibetan exiles, who number about 140,000, half of them in India. He has also said that his successor could be an adult, and not necessarily a man.