BEIJING, March 22 (Reuter) - China on Saturday slammed a visit by the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to Taiwan, saying the trip was aimed at splitting Tibet and the island from the motherland.

"The Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan will not be an ordinary religious activity but a political crusade upheld by splittist and Tibetan independence forces collaborating within Taiwan to split the motherland," the official People's Daily said.

The Dalai Lama was set to arrive in Taiwan on Saturday and was expected to meet Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui, whom Beijing accuses of working for independence for the island, on March 27.

Taiwan's invitation to the Dalai Lama showed Taipei was colluding with the exiled god-king to try to split China, the newspaper quoted a conference of Tibet scholars meeting in Beijing as concluding.

Beijing maintains that Taiwan, split from the mainland by civil war in 1949, and Tibet, where the crushing of an anti-Chinese uprising in 1959 forced the Dalai Lama into exile in India, have been part of China for centuries.

The Dalai Lama, who won the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent campaign for more autonomy for his Himalayan homeland, says he is not seeking independence but maintains Tibetans should have more say in running their own affairs.