WELLINGTON, Sept 12 (AFP) - The Chinese embassy in Wellington said Thursday it was "seriously concerned" about meetings between exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama and New Zealand government leaders.

Ignoring previous Chinese protests, Prime Minister Jim Bolger and Foreign Minister Don McKinnon met the Dalai Lama on Wednesday.

"We deeply regret the New Zealand Government ignored Chinese government representations and provided him with a platform for indulging in political propaganda," New Zealand Press Association quoted embassy spokesman Victor Fu as saying.

He said the embassy was "following the situation" and he was not prepared to comment on how his government might respond.

Before the meetings, the embassy said the Dalai Lama was a political exile seeking to disrupt Chinese unity by advocating Tibetan independence.

On Wednesday, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman in Beijing called on the New Zealand government to "correct its wrongdoing."

The NZPA report quoted unidentified senior New Zealand government officials as saying they would not be surprised if the Chinese government displayed its displeasure.

The report speculated that Trade Negotiations Minister Philip Burdon, who is due to begin a five day visit to Beijing on Sunday, could see his trip affected.

He might be snubbed or appointments might be cancelled, the report said.

The Dalai Lama is due to visit Christchurch and Dunedin before leaving for Australia on Saturday.

China last week also issued a strongly-worded warning to Australia against meeting the Tibetan spiritual leader.