Wang said reporters were bound to ask sensitive questions. 'Since this is defined as a religious visit, we should keep it that way and prevent things from getting out of control,' he said.

Seven southern Taiwan counties and cities, the hardest-hit when Typhoon Morakot slammed southern Taiwan killing nearly 700 people, invited the Dalai Lama to visit Taiwan to bless typhoon survivors.

During his four-day trip, the Dalai Lama will hold two prayer meetings for typhoon victims - one in Kaohsiung and one in Panchiao, in northern Taiwan - before returning to India Friday morning.

President Ma Ying-jeou will not meet the Dalai Lama, the president's office said. The visit comes at a sensitive moment as Ma tries to improve Taipei-Beijing ties.

China protested the Dalai Lama's visit, saying Beijing is absolutely opposed to it because he is a politician seeking to 'split the motherland'.

The 74-year-old Dalai Lama has been living in exile in Dharamasala, northern India, since an abortive uprising against Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959.

In 1989, the Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize for seeking autonomy for Tibet through peaceful means. He visited Taiwan in 1997 and 2001 to meet Taiwanese disciples, numbering about 500,000.