China on Monday criticized the Dalai Lama's separatist activities in Japan and collusion with Japanese right-wing forces as territorial disputes between the two countries still linger.

"Dalai's poor performance once again revealed his reactionary nature of betraying his motherland and splitting China apart under the disguise of religion," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a regular news briefing.

Hong was responding to reports of Dalai Lama using "Senkaku", the Japanese name of the Diaoyu Islands which have been Chinese territory for centuries, to describe the islands issue during a news conference in Yokohama, Japan, on Nov 5.

Analysts said Dalai and Japanese right-wingers are taking advantage of each other for their own purposes, and they may further strain the China-Japan ties chilled by Tokyo's so-called nationalization of the islands in September.

"To achieve his separatist goal, Dalai associated with the Japanese right-wing forces. Chinese people despise him for what he did," Hong said.

"China firmly opposes the provision of platforms by any country or any person to Dalai's separatist activities in any form."

The right-wing forces in Japan seek to win international support over its territorial stance through Dalai's visit, said Huo Jiangang, an expert on Japanese studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.

"The double-faced Dalai always likes to say something nice to the international community to fake his peaceful image, but what he did is merely to boost his personal influence by meddling in the tension over the Diaoyu Islands," said Huo.

Dalai is also seeking foreign backing and collusion with other anti-China forces for his separatist activities, said Shen Shishun, an expert in Japanese studies at Haikou College of Economics in Hainan province.

"But considering the strong determination among Chinese to safeguard the Diaoyu Islands, Dalai would not dare openly and completely support Tokyo's stance yet," Shen added.

The settlement of the Diaoyu Islands issue relies on the two governments, especially Japan's sincerity to repair ties, analysts said.

Hong on Monday also confirmed a report that Japanese runners are not barred from taking part in this year's Beijing marathon on Nov 25.

Japan's media had reported that Japanese runners were banned from the event due to safety concerns amid the territorial dispute, but the decision was later reversed.

On Sunday, Xinhua News Agency quoted an official from the Chinese Athletic Association as saying that the Japanese athletes had never been prevented from participating in the annual event.

Liu Yedan contributed to this story.

Contact the writer at [email protected]