TAIPEI: Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has accepted an opposition invitation to visit Taiwan next week pending approval by the China-friendly government, officials said on Wednesday.

State media earlier reported that the Dalai Lama was scheduled to arrive on Monday and visit southern Kaohsiung county, which was devastated when deadly Typhoon Morakot struck the island more than two weeks ago.

But Hsu Li-ming, chief of the Kaohsiung city government's press office, later told reporters that the visit still needed approval from President Ma Ying-jeou's government, which has recently forged closer ties with Beijing.

Ma's office and the foreign ministry would not immediately say if the visit -- at the invitation of the pro-independence opposition Democratic Progressive Party -- would go ahead.

Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama of trying to split the nation and reacts angrily to any country hosting him.

The Dalai Lama's spokesman Tenzin Taklha told AFP the Tibetan leader had accepted the invitation but said any visit depended on Taiwan's government.