The Dalai Lama turned 90 on Sunday surrounded by thousands of followers, who thronged the Himalayan town of Dharamshala, where the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism has been living in exile since fleeing Chinese rule in Tibet in 1959.

Weeks before the Dalai Lama ruled out China's role in choosing his successor, President Xi Jinping met a Tibetan Buddhist monk installed three decades ago by Beijing as the faith's No. 2 leader, the Panchen Lama.

As the Dalai Lama turns 90, the Tibetan spiritual leader finds himself in a tussle with China over who will succeed him. The clash is a long time in the making with the Dalai Lama insisting the Chinese government will have absolutely no say in the selection.