MOSCOW, August 27 (RIA Novosti) - China has criticized Taiwan's decision to invite the Dalai Lama, accusing the Tibetan spiritual leader of seeking to damage the republic's relations with Beijing.

Taiwan invited the Dalai Lama to comfort victims of Typhoon Morakot, Taiwan's worst storm in half a century, which has claimed at least 461 lives.

"The Dalai Lama is not a pure religious figure," Xinhua news agency quoted a spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office as saying. "Under the pretext of religion, he has all along been engaged in separatist activities."

The president agreed to invite the Dalai Lama following requests from Taiwan's opposition Democratic Progressive Party.

The spokesman said the Dalai Lama's visit is "not for the sake of disaster relief", but an "attempt to sabotage the hard-earned good situation in cross-Strait relations".

He said Chinese and Taiwanese compatriots would protest against the Dalai Lama's visit.