The Dalai Lama has announced that he will have a successor after his death, continuing a centuries-old tradition that has become a flashpoint in the struggle with China’s Communist Party over Tibet’s future.

Speaking at prayer celebrations ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said the centuries-old Tibetan Buddhist institution will continue after his death, ending

The Tibetan spiritual leader said that his lineage would continue, and that China would have no say about his successor.