Published by: World Tibet Network News, Wednesday, October 16 1996

TAIPEI, Oct 16 (AFP) - Taiwan on Wednesday brushed off warnings by China over a possible visit here by the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, saying Beijing should not read too much into the trip.

"It is totally unnecessary for the Chinese communists to over-interpret the meaning behind the Dalai Lama's visit," said Shi Hwei-you, vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Taiwan's top mainland policy planning body.

"We have our rights and freedom to have friendly relations with any areas in mainland China, including Mongolia and Tibet," Shi said.

On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Shen Gufang said his government wanted to "draw the attention of the Taiwan authoriteis to the fact that the Dalai Lama is not a purely religious figure, but mainly a political exile, who engages in activities aimed at splitting the motherland.

"Such a visit would do nothing to improve relations across the Taiwan Strait".

But Shi said there was no need for "anybody to use the visit to evaluate cross-strait relations."

The Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India, has never visited Taiwan. Such a trip would bring together two of the most sensitive issues for the mainland Chinese government.

Any country hosting the Dalai Lama, even as purely a spiritual figure, evokes the wrath of Beijing, which accuses the Tibetan figurehead of leading a separatist movement in the Himalayan region.

At the same time, Beijing views Taiwan as a renegade province and is swift to protest against any visit or action that might raise the island's diplomatic profile.

MAC officials said Taiwan considers Mongolia and Tibet as territory of the nationalist republic of China. Therefore, if the Dalai Lama visits, it will not involve any independence or unification issue.

Master Ching Hsin, chairman of the Taiwan-based Chinese Buddhist Association, told reporters that during his trip to Sydney last month, he had invited the Dalai Lama who was also visiting Australia, to come to Taiwan, and the Tibetan spiritual leader gave him a verbal promise.

Dates, visa details and other arrangements were not discussed, he said.

But if the Dalai Lama does visit, it will be purely for religious purposes, the master said.

The Tibetan and Mongolian Affairs Commission here said it knew nothing about the Dalai Lama's planned visit.

The Presidential Office here said it would welcome such a visit.