China would also have drawn comfort from the fact that, within the murky world of intra-Tibetan politics, its anointed Karmapa, oddly, had the Dalai Lama’s backing. Historically, the Dalai Lamas and Karmapa Lamas vied with each other for influence until the Dalai Lama’s Gelug school gained ascendancy over the Kagyu order.
而中国可能也感到满意的是，在尔虞我诈的西藏政治中，中方所指派的噶玛巴竟然奇怪地得到了达赖喇嘛的支持。历史上达赖喇嘛和噶玛巴各自利用其影响力斗得不可开交，直到达赖喇嘛的格鲁派压倒了噶举派后才告一段落。然而依照西藏传统，达赖喇嘛无权挑选或者批准噶玛巴。因此在这方面达赖喇嘛纯粹是出于政治考虑做的决定。