The boy picked by China as one of Tibet's top spiritual leaders has praised the Communist Party in his first interview.

Fourteen-year-old Gyaincain Norbu, chosen by Beijing as the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, also said Tibet's Buddhists enjoyed freedom of worship.

The boy lives in Beijing, but has spent the last few weeks in Tibet.

The Dalai Lama chose as the 11th Panchen Lama a different boy who has not been seen since his arrest in 1995.

'Good leadership'

Gyaincain Norbu was quoted by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua as saying he was satisfied with Tibet's social stability and standards of living.

"We wouldn't have made all these achievements without the good leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, the support from all the Chinese people and the painstaking efforts of the Tibetans," he said.

The People's Daily, mouthpiece of the Communist Party, quoted him as saying that Buddhist temples were well looked after.

"The policy of allowing freedom of worship is fully respected, and that makes me very happy," he added, according to the newspaper.

Observers say the Panchen Lama's visit to Tibet is a political exercise designed to assert his legitimacy.

He has presided over a number of religious rituals including blessing lamas in head-touching ceremonies, and presented a traditional Tibetan scarf to the shrine of the soul of the 10th Panchen Lama.

'Polite and affectionate'

Xinhua said his attendants described him as polite to the elderly, fond of children, and affectionate towards birds, cats and dogs.

The Panchen Lama decides who will become Tibet's next Dalai Lama after the death of the incumbent, who is now in his late sixties and lives in exile in India.

It is the boy's third visit to the Himalayan capital.

He is rarely seen in public. One of his last public engagements was the opening of the Communist Party Congress in Beijing in 2002.

Tibet's exiled leaders refuse to accept the legitimacy of China's choice and have called for the release of the boy chosen as the Panchen Lama by the Dalai Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima.