BEIJING: A child who disappeared 25 years ago after being appointed as a Tibetan Buddhist leader by the Dalai Lama is now living a "normal life" after graduating from university, China said on Tuesday (May 19) following US calls to reveal his location.

The Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India and enjoys a wide global following, in May 1995 identified Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, the second most senior figure in Tibetan Buddhism's largest school.