Tibetan Buddhist monks debate as part of receiving the Geshe Lharampa degree at a ceremony at Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet autonomous region, in August. Geshe Lharampa, meaning "intellectual" in Tibetan, is the highest academic degree for the Gelugba School－also known as the Yellow Sect－of Tibetan Buddhism. [Photo by Zhao Lang/China News Service]

Overseas anti-China forces have never cared about the people of the Tibet autonomous region or Tibetan Buddhism, but only their own interest groups and benefits, the 11th Panchen Lama said.

"They turned issues of Tibet and religion into political leverage, and anyone with a sound mind and objective view can see that clearly," the Panchen Lama, Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu, told China News Service on the sidelines of the annual session of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, which ended on Wednesday.

In December, the United States passed the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020. It seeks to encourage external interference in the process of appointing the next Dalai Lama.

"No matter how strong the outside interference is, they will never shake people's confidence, determination and perseverance in China's development path," China News Service quoted the Panchen Lama as saying. The 31-year-old is a member of the CPPCC National Committee, China's top political advisory body.

"We need to take on the challenges posed to Tibetan Buddhism and solve the problems within a broader vision as Tibet has seen rapid development," he said.

He had called on followers in Tibet to temporarily suspend religious gatherings when the COVID-19 outbreak was severe at the beginning of 2020 to prevent it from spreading.

The pursuit of Tibetan Buddhism aims to see the country prosper and its people happy and safe, he said while explaining why he supported the suspension.

The Panchen Lama visited 25 counties and 33 monasteries in Tibet last year. He said he has witnessed the region's changes, especially how poverty alleviation efforts have transformed the lives of people in rural areas.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet. "From darkness to brightness, from autocracy to democracy, from backwardness to development, from impoverishment to prosperity, are the best terms to compare people's lives before being liberated and now," Xinhua News Agency quoted him as saying on Thursday.

"Currently, both Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism are in their best time for development. Tibetan Buddhism can only have a bright future when its development can safeguard national unity, promote ethnic unity and improve social stability."

The Panchen Lama has been a member of CPPCC National Committee since 2010. To offer better advice on the country's affairs, he studies the most discussed domestic issues and international affairs every day, Xinhua quoted him as saying.

He pays particularly attention to matters of concern to young people, it reported.

Besides studying Tibetan Buddhism and hosting religious activities, he also takes lessons in languages, mathematics, science and computer technology, it added.