DHARAMSHALA, India -- DHARAMSHALA, India (AP) — 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.

With the announcement of his reincarnation ahead of his 90th birthday, the Dalai Lama made it clear that Tibetans will not bow to China. The Dalai Lama’s reincarnation is not just a matter of faith but it is a geopolitical contest that goes far beyond Tibet to the roots of the Communist China’s expansionism and the Dalai Lama is at the vanguard to challenge it.