The Dalai Lama has announced that he intends to reincarnate, paving the way for a successor to take on a mantle stretching back 500 years after his death.

The Dalai Lama says he'll have a successor, after all, ending years of speculation that he might be the last person to hold the role and meaning he'd be reincarnated.

The contentious issue is potentially a flashpoint in India’s relationship with China, which has shown signs of a thaw, despite Beijing openly taking sides with Pakistan during the four-day Indo-Pakistan conflict in May.