Taiwan's president has agreed to allow a visit to the island by the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, in a move almost certain to irritate Beijing.
Ma Ying-jeou said the visit would be focused on offering comfort to survivors of Typhoon Morakot, which is thought to have claimed hundreds of lives on the island.
The Chinese government considers the Dalai Lama a "splittist" for promoting autonomy in Tibet and Ma's decision to allow the visit to go ahead could risk undermining a recent thaw in relations between the mainland and Taipei.
China claims self-governing Taiwan as part of its territory, although the two split amid civil war in 1949.
Ma announced his backing for the visit on Thursday during a visit to a school that was destroyed in mudslides triggered by the deadly storm, the worst to hit the island in 50 years.
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| Previous visits by the Dalai Lama have provoked an angry reaction from Beijing [EPA] |
"The Dalai Lama could come to Taiwan to help rest the souls of the dead and also pray for the well-being of the survivors," he said.
On Wednesday, leaders of seven municipalities hit by the storm issued a joint statement inviting the Dalai Lama to visit victims at the end of the month.
The invitation from the leaders - all from the opposition Democratic Progressive Party - comes as Taiwan's president faces continuing criticism that his government botched its response to the typhoon and its aftermath.
Over the past 12 years the Dalai Lama has made three visits to the island which is home to a large exiled Tibetan community and millions of Buddhists.