http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/28/world/asia/28taiwan.html
Taiwan to Allow Dalai Lama Visit
HONG KONG – The president of Taiwan said Thursday he would allow the Dalai Lama to visit the island next week, a move that is likely to infuriate China and possibly jeopardize improving relations between Taipei and Beijing.
The Tibetan spiritual leader is expected to arrive Monday for a six-day tour of southern Taiwan, which was ravaged by a typhoon three weeks ago that left at least 650 dead.
The invitation to the Dalai Lama was extended by several government leaders in the south and was seen by analysts in Taiwan as a political maneuver aimed to embarrass President Ma Ying-jeou. His approval ratings have plummeted over what is widely seen as a slow response to the devastating typhoon.
Political unrest in Tibet is a highly sensitive topic for mainland China, and Beijing has sharply criticized the Dalai Lama for promoting political autonomy in the region. His visits to other countries typically draw strong rebukes from China. Beijing withdrew from a European Union summit meeting last December when the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and other EU leaders said they planned to meet with the Dalai Lama.
The Taiwanese officials who extended the invitation belong to the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, which has its traditional base of support in the south.
Dr. George Tsai, a political analyst and professor at Chinese Cultural University in Taipei, said Thursday that the invitation was “purely politically motivated, aiming to harass both Ma and China.”
“While both Ma and Beijing are put in a very awkward position, the D.P.P. is in an absolute, no-lose position,” said Mr. Tsai.
If the Dalai Lama’s visit takes place, Mr. Ma risks angering China, analysts said. And if China retaliates, the warming cross-straits relationship is likely to grow much colder.
“I think China now is very much confused about Ma’s decision and doesn’t know how to properly respond,” said Mr. Tsai. “Probably China is, through indirect channels, of course, waiting for Taiwan’s full explanation.”
Mr. Ma announced his approval of the Dalai Lama’s visit while speaking to reporters Thursday at a school in the south that was flattened by Typhoon Morakot. Eddy Tsai, the president’s public affairs director, confirmed Mr. Ma’s approval on Thursday morning, Bloomberg News reported.
The president had rebuffed a possible visit by the Dalai Lama last November, saying the timing wasn’t right. The Dalai Lama last visited Taiwan in 2001, when Mr. Ma's predecessor, Chen Shui-bian, was president.
Mr. Ma has made improved relations with the mainland a priority of his administration. China is Taiwan’s principal trading partner, and the two countries began direct tourist flights, cross-strait shipping and mail services last year.
Hsu Li-ming, director of information for the Kaohsiung city government, said the Dalai Lama had been invited by the leaders of seven cities in southern Taiwan, according to the Taipei Times newspaper.
“The Dalai Lama is not only the spiritual leader of Tibet, but also a religious leader,” the city said in a statement. “He also embodies love and peace and has comforted billions of souls over the years. We believe the Dalai Lama’s visit will help the victims get back on their feet.”
A leading lawmaker from Mr. Ma’s governing Nationalist Party, Chiu Yi , also objected to the invitation, seeing it as a political provocation. Speaking of the opposition, Mr. Chui was quoted by the Taipei newspaper as saying, “Don’t they think we have enough disasters?”