The atheist government of China has accused the Dalai Lama of violating Buddhist traditions by announcing he may name his successor.

Liu Jianchao, a spokesman for the foreign ministry said: “The reincarnation of the living Buddha is a unique way of succession of Tibetan Buddhism and follows relatively complete religious rituals and historical conventions.” He added that the Dalai’s remarks, made in Japan this week, “obviously violated the religious rituals and historical conventions” of Buddhism.

The Dalai Lama, 72, said in Japan this week that he was open to naming his successor before he died. Such a move would overturn centuries of tradition but could head off plans by China’s Communist government to select the next Dalai Lama.

China has ruled Tibet since 1951 and recently announced that Tibetan living Buddhas needed permission from the atheist government to be reincarnated.

Liu defended the decision to implement “measures on management of reincarnation of Buddhas” saying the government respected the “religious rituals and historical conventions” of naming the next Dalai Lama.

The current Dalai Lama went into exile in India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. He won the Nobel Peach Prize in 1989 and was the first Dalai to visit the West. China’s government regards the Dalai as politically dangerous in his high profile quest for the independence of his homeland.