Friday, June 18, 1999 Published at 13:04 GMT 14:04 UK
Panchen Lama returns to Tibet
The Dalai Lama has given his backing to a different successor
The boy recognised by the Chinese government as the Panchen Lama - the second highest spiritual leader in Tibet - has returned to the capital, Lhasa.
It is believed to be only his second visit to Tibet since his controversial selection four years ago.
The news agency said the boy was "in good health under the care of the central government" and progressing in his studies under the tutelage of senior Tibetan Buddhists.
"The 11th Panchen Lama can recite sutras for three successive days and is now the esteemed and beloved religious leader of Tibetan people," Xinhua said.
His appointment went against the wishes of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who had chosen another candidate, Gedhun Choeki Nyima, to succeed the 10th Panchen Lama, who died in 1989.
The rival claimants to his succession are both about the same age.
The controversy over the appointment added a new dimension to the conflict between the exiled Dalai Lama and the Chinese Government over the control of Tibetan Buddhism.
One of the most important roles of the Panchen Lama is to identify the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.
The officially endorsed candidate was installed in November 1995, in a ceremony broadcast by state television across China.
The boy chosen by the Dalai Lama has been kept out of the public eye by the Chinese authorities, and international human rights groups say they fear the boy is being held under house arrest.
The Chinese foreign ministry announced last year that Gedhun Choeki Nyima was "living with family members and everything is good", - but it refused to say where the boy was.