Taipei  - Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, said Friday that he hopes to visit Taiwan in 2009, in what would be his first visit in seven years and an apparent reversal of a policy of avoiding the island for fear of angering China.

"Taiwan-China ties are developing smoothly, so maybe this is a good time, the Dalai Lama told Elta TV in the northern Indian city of Dharamsala. "I haven't visited Taiwan for several years, but I have never forgotten Taiwan."

The Dalai Lama praised Taiwan's democracy in the televised interview.

"What is most precious about Taiwan is Taiwan's democracy. China kept talking about liberating Taiwan, but in fact, it is not unlikely that Taiwan might liberate China's dictatorship with Taiwan's democracy," he said.

The Dalai Lama refused to predict the outcome of the Taipei- Beijing talks, but said that given the current situation in China, it is very hard to achieve concrete results.

"Look at Tibet. China keeps saying that the door to dialogue is always open, but when we want to discuss details, they become very hard," he said.

The Dalai Lama visited Taiwan in 1997 and 2001 to give Buddhist lectures and meet with Taiwan's former president Lee Teng-hui. His representative office - The Tibet Foundation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama - opened in Taipei in 1998.

China claims that both Tibet and Taiwan are integral parts of its territory. (dpa)