The Dalai Lama said Chinese rule was a "death sentence" for Tibetan heritage but stressed the future looked brighter for his people as China itself modernises.

In a CNN interview broadcast on Sunday, the 73-year-old spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists also said his reincarnation would be found in the "free world" rather than in Chinese-occupied Tibet.

Chinese hardliners were guilty of "cultural genocide" in their assault on Tibet's way of life, he said.

Speaking in English, he said the vast majority of Tibetans were "very unhappy" as they saw their "cultural heritage passing through something like a death sentence."

Viewed locally, the Dalai Lama said, Tibet's prospects appear "hopeless" as communist rulers look to flood his homeland with ethnic-Chinese settlers and dilute its Buddhist culture.

"If we look at Tibetan issue from wider perspective, I feel much hope because China is changing," he said, also noting strong public support for Tibet in Europe and NorthAmerica.

"And then on the other hand, the Tibetan spirit inside Tibet is wonderful," the leader said.

The Dalai Lama has frequently said he wants to retire but has kept up a frenetic travel schedule. The Nobel Peace laureate is currently touring the United States, but he does not plan to visit Washington.