BEIJING, March 13, 1997 (Reuter) - China called on rival Taiwan on Thursday to avoid harming reunification and ethnic unity during a visit to the island later this month by Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

"Everyone knows what kind of person the Dalai Lama is. It is also obvious what his political motives are in going to Taiwan," Foreign Ministry spokesman Cui Tiankai told reporters. He did not elaborate.

"Taiwan authorities should see the situation clearly and not do things that will harm reunification of the country and ethnic unity," Cui said.

Cui made the remarks in reply to questions about plans by Taiwan's President Lee Teng-hui, a devout Presbyterian, to meet the Tibetan religious leader.

The Dalai Lama has been living in exile in India since he fled there in 1959 after an abortive uprising against communist rule.

The Dalai Lama, who won the Nobel Peace prize in 1989 for his peaceful campaign to win greater autonomy for his homeland, plans a six-day visit to Taiwan beginning March 22.

Beijing maintains that Tibet has been part of China for centuries and regards the Dalai Lama as a "splittist" seeking Tibet's independence from China.

China has accused Lee of secretly plotting Taiwan's independence while paying lip service to reunification with the mainland. Lee denies the allegation and says he wants reunification but not before China embraces democracy.

"We are opposed to any person engaging in activities of any form aimed at splitting the motherland," Cui said.

Taiwan's Nationalists, led by Chiang Kai-shek, fled into exile on Taiwan in 1949 after losing the Chinese civil war to the communists. Lee now heads the Nationalists.

The Dalai Lama's Taiwan hosts, the Buddhist Association, had maintained that the visit would be purely religious with no official contacts.

The Dalai Lama himself has described the Taiwan visit as "strictly spiritual."