The Dalai Lama's Taiwan tour entered its third day today as he prepared to move closer to the island's capital Taipei where concerns were mounting about the reaction from China.

Tibet's exiled spiritual leader met with Paul Shan, the Catholic cardinal of the southern city of Kaohsiung, before a scheduled departure later for the north, where the government worried publicly about China ties.

NONE "The coming few days will be extremely crucial," said Wu Poh-hsiung, chairman of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party, according to the Taipei-based China Times newspaper.

The Dalai Lama's five-day visit to Taiwan, which he says is meant to comfort victims of Typhoon Morakot, has triggered two strong reactions from China, which vilifies him as a champion of independence for Tibet.

China sees both Tibet and Taiwan as inalienable parts of its territory, and the fact that he is now touring the island, which has governed itself since 1949, is an extra source of ire in Beijing.

"We have a typhoon blowing from Beijing," an unnamed KMT official said, according to the China Post newspaper Wednesday.

The official said a planned economic cooperation framework agreement, widely seen as the first step towards an actual free trade pact with China, could be delayed because of the Dalai Lama's visit, "to the detriment of Taiwan".

The Taiwan government said earlier that China had cancelled various delegations to the island, including one led by a Chinese deputy central bank governor.

Forced to keep a low profile

The Dalai Lama was scheduled to head north from Kaohsiung on Wednesday afternoon, according to a statement from the foundation that represents him in Taiwan.

NONE The foundation gave no details about planned activities until his expected departure on Friday, but said a mass appearance Thursday at a stadium with a capacity for thousands in Taoyuan, a city near Taipei, had been called off.

This followed other cancellations earlier in the week, including an avidly anticipated press conference Monday, scrapped after a senior KMT official voiced fears questions might emerge that would be embarrassing for China.

"The event seems to be under control, if looking from the itinerary of the Dalai Lama over the past few days," KMT spokeswoman Chen Shu-rong told AFP .

Amid attempts to keep the visit discreet, the KMT government has repeatedly stressed the need to focus on comfort of victims of Typhoon Morakot, which left at least 571 dead in Taiwan.

NONE "If the Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan is confined to the religious and humanitarian level and aimed at consoling the souls of the victims, there's no big problem," Premier Liu Chao-shiuan said according to the China Times .

However, some devout followers of the Dalai Lama expressed frustration with seeing the religious leader forced to keep a low profile.

"I'm disappointed the Dalai Lama can't do more and say more because of government pressure," said Pan Meiling, a woman from Taipei who had travelled to Kaohsiung to witness the Dalai Lama's visit.

"Everyone attending his gatherings had been deeply moved, but the politicians and the media are twisting the truth."

- AFP