In the long tale of Chinese-Tibetan relations, the Chinese authorities decided to regulate reincarnation.  While this sounds bizarre at first glance, it makes sense for their pursuit of controlling the Tibetan people.  While according to Buddhist believe (almost) everybody is reborn, only few important religious leaders are looked for – like the Dalai Lama.  By regulating reincarnation, the Chinese will probably try to control this search process, probably with the goal of nominating the next Dalai Lama themselves.  The Slashdot discussion has some insightful comments.