My very Western mind trying to grasp this Eastern concept

I admit, I'm nowhere near an Eastern-minded person, though I've always found Eastern religion and culture to be fascinating.

"In one of history's more absurd acts of totalitarianism, China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission."

I took various courses in Eastern studies, Eastern religions and world religions. I don't have a minor in Eastern studies, and I've never studied the Chinese government, but this is absurd! I guess my gut instinct says that a truly enlightened, peace-seeking individual can't "will" to be reincarnated in a Chinese-only body. I thought the dharma of Buddhism had to do with being free of societal/governmental/physical limitations. So now they're proposing that the Chinese government might pick a Dalai Lama, and the Dalai Lama might pick another? And the Dalai Lama is supposed to be a unifier!

But... (in the words of Levar Burton) don't take my word for it ...
read all about it in "China Regulates Buddhist Reincarnation"
Anyone care to enlighten me on this one? Where do the Chinese come up with this?

Based on a random site on buddhism,
'Dalai' is a Mongolian word meaning 'ocean,' and 'Lama' is a Tibetan term corresponding to the Indian word 'guru' or teacher. A Dalai Lama is not appointed or elected; he is born to the position. Each Dalai Lama is a reincarnation of the previous one. Tibetans regard the Dalai Lamas as the human embodiment of Avalokiteshvara (in Tibetan, Chenrezig), the deity of compassion, who chooses to return to the world to serve humanity. Before each Dalai Lama dies, he leaves signs to indicate where he will take his next rebirth."

Then the Dalai Lama hunt begins.

This is most fascinating to me based on the idea that a government is trying its darndest to subvert a faith, a religion, a system of beliefs that (well, according to 600 yrs of Dalai Lama succession) are Tradition. I capitalize Tradition, because when something lasts more than half a millenia, it becomes something that is breathed in a community of faith, not just accepted. So now this government's attempts at control of beliefs smarts at the religion itself. I mean, maybe it's a "solution" to exile, or maybe it's a strategy to get the religion out of Tibet and secure Chinese control of that area. In the end, might this be better for Buddhism? No longer limited to one main country, and no longer considered exiles elsewhere.