China's Panchen Lama rises in political standing

BEIJING - The Panchen Lama, the young man enthroned by Beijing as the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism, has joined China's top legislative advisory body.

The 20-year-old Panchen Lama, whose name is Gyaltsen Norbu, is emerging as Beijing's choice to supplant the Dalai Lama as the public face of Tibetan Buddhism and has taken on an increasingly political role in recent years.

He has made appearances with Communist Party leaders and publicly praised Chinese rule in Tibet.

He was among 13 people named to the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on Sunday.

Gyaltsen Norbu is not widely accepted by Tibetans as the Panchen Lama, a figure who has traditionally advised and worked with the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism's supreme leader.

Another boy, Gendun Choekyi Nyima, was named as the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama by the Dalai Lama in 1995. The boy and his family, from a remote part of Chinese-controlled Tibet, disappeared soon after and have not been heard from since.

- AP