The boy endorsed by China as the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism, who activists say is being groomed as a symbol of Beijing's control over the disputed territory, has surfaced at a monastery.
Gyaincain Norbu, who is rarely seen or heard from, has been in the Kumbum monastery in northwestern Qinghai province, which borders the Himalayan region, since Saturday, a lama at the monastery told AFP.
"The Panchen Lama arrived three days ago. I don't know how long he will stay here," said the Tibetan who heads the monastery's managing committee.
"The Panchen Lama has been reading Buddhist scriptures every day," added the lama, who did not want to be named.
The 13-year-old, who has lived much of his life shrouded in secrecy, was expected to leave Kumbum, 25 kilometres (15.5 miles) northwest of the provincial capital Xining city Tuesday, the lama said, but did not know where he was going.
The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), quoting what it said were "reliable sources", said the boy, considered a living god, could be heading to the Labrang Tashi Khyil Monastery in neighbouring Gansu province.
Monks at the Labrang monastery and local police could not confirm this.
"The Panchen Lama may come but we have not had confirmation yet," said a lama.
According to ancient tradition, the Dalai Lama selects the new Panchen Lama when the old one dies and vice versa, following divine signs and omens.
In 1995 the exiled Dalai Lama chose Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, a six-year-old boy, as the reincarnation of the former Panchen Lama, who died in 1989 aged 50.
This prompted the Chinese police to swiftly place the boy under house arrest, sparking anger among Tibetans.
Beijing selected its own candidate, Gyaincain Norbu, and has since trumpeted his legitimacy.
The Dalai Lama's selection has not been seen in public since he was detained and the Chinese boy is shown only occasionally, usually meeting senior Chinese leaders or taking part in religious ceremonies in Beijing.
Gyaincain Norbu enjoys little support among Tibetans, who disparagingly refer to him as "the Chinese Panchen", or "Jiang Zemin's Panchen", in reference to the former Chinese president.
Rights groups say the reason why the Panchen Lama is so crucial in Tibetan religion - and in Chinese-Tibetan relations - is the fact that he is charged with selecting the next reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.
"Beijing believes that their control over Tibet's spiritual figures would ensure their control of the minds and loyalty of the Tibetan people," the Tibet Information Network said.
ICT said that Luo Gan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee visited Kumbum in June to prepare for the boy's visit.
China has ruled Tibet in an often brutal fashion since it occupied the Himalayan area in 1951, and has been accused of trying to wipe out Tibet's culture through repression and a flood of ethnic Chinese immigration.