The Dalai Lama’s successor will be born outside China, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism says in a new book, raising the stakes in a dispute with Beijing over control of the Himalayan region he fled more than six decades ago.

The Tibetan Buddhist leader said the choice of a successor should be made according to traditional practices and that lamas and monks would conduct the search, setting up a clash with Beijing’s communist rulers.

The Dalai Lama in his new book “Voice of the Voiceless” has for the first time clearly stated that he will reincarnate outside China or Tibet. He has stated in the book that he will be born in a free world to ensure that the institute of the Dalai Lama continues in its traditional role,