Taiwan - Typhoon

China warns Taiwan again over Dalai Lama visit

Article published on the 2009-08-31 Latest update 2009-08-31 17:02 TU

The Dalai Lama on a controversial visit to typhoon victims, 31 August 2009.
(Photo: Nicky Loh/Reuters)

After being elected on a promise that they would improve relations with China, leading figures in Taiwan’s ruling party Kuomintang (KMT) will not meet with the Dalai Lama during his visit to Taiwan. The Dalai Lama arrived on Monday for a five-day visit to comfort victims of Typhoon Morakot.

The Dalai Lama praised Taiwan's democracy Monday. "You enjoy democracy, you must preserve it... I myself am totally dedicated to the promotion of democracy."

The Dalai Lama visited the south Taiwan village of Hsiaolin, where at least 424 people died in a massive typhoon-triggered mudslide in early August,.

He told reporters that his trip tour was solely to comfort victims of the disaster. "My visit is non-political, humanitarian. I have no political agenda," the

The Tibetan spiritual leader who has lived in exile in India since China re-annexed Tibet in 1951, was due to give a press conference on Monday, but it was cancelled.

Earlier, a senior member of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party had voiced concern that issues deemed sensitive by China might come upsurface.

The Dalai Lama is in Taiwan at the invitation of a group of high-profile members of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, which wants the island to become formally independent from China.

Shortly after the Dalai Lama's arrival, the Chinese government warned that the visit would affect ties with Taiwan.

"The Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan is bound to have a negative influence on relations between the mainland and Taiwan," a spokesman for the cabinet-level Taiwan Affairs Office said, according to China's official Xinhua news agency.

"We resolutely oppose this, and our position is firm and clear."

China considers Taiwan a part of its territory, and a visit by the Dalai Lama, whom it accuses of wanting to split Tibet from Chinese control, is a source of particular anger in Beijing.

To try to appease Beijing, President Ma Ying-jeou met the Buddhist leader on his previous two visits to the island, but has not scheduled any meetings with him this time.

His vice-president Vincent Siew, Premier Liu Chao-hsiuan, parliament speaker Wang Jin-pyng and party chairman Wu Poh-hsiung said they will follow their President's cue.

President Ma approved the visit of the Dalia Lama last week amid criticism he had not handled the typhoon relief effort sufficiently.