Taipei, Aug 30 (DPA) The Dalai Lama arrived in Taiwan Sunday on a controversial visit to bless typhoon victims - despite China's protesting that the visit was aimed at 'splitting the motherland'.

Smiling and waving, the Dalai Lama arrived at Taoyuan International Airport near Taipei from New Delhi on a China Airlines flight.

He was due to travel by high-speed train for the two-hour ride to the southern city of Kaohsiung for Monday's scheduled visit to the disaster areas and victims.

In order to avoid any political implications or embarrassment to the Taiwan government, the Tibetan spiritual leader cancelled an international news conference planned for Monday morning.

'His Holiness decided to cancel tomorrow morning's news conference so that he can spend more time visiting typhoon victims,' Tsegyam Ngaba, secretary general to the Dalai Lama's Office, told reporters.

'The Dalai Lama said the purpose of his trip is to visit typhoon victims. The news conference is not important and he doesn't have much to say to reporters anyway,' he added.

Reporters from some 130 local and foreign news organisations had signed up to cover the Dalai Lama's news conference that was to be held at a hotel in Kaohsiung.

The cancellation came a few hours after parliament Speaker Wang Jin-pyng suggested to Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu, who invited the Dalai Lama, to cancel the news conference to avoid politicising his visit.