Taipei, Sep 3 (DPA) The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, called Thursday on China to introduce democracy to avoid a collapse like that of the Soviet Union.

The Dalai Lama, invited to visit Taiwan to bless typhoon victims, made the call while receiving disciples at the Howard Plaza Hotel in Taipei.

As he spoke, hundreds of pro-China activists protested outside the hotel, clashing with police and shouting, 'Tibet, China all belong to China!' and 'Dalai Lama go back to India!'

'Taiwan's highest value is democracy and freedom of speech,' the Dalai Lama told members of the Friends of Tibet while adding in an apparent reference to the demonstration, 'While you enjoy this value, I hope you can also spread it to China.'

'I hope China, under communist rule, can adopt democracy and become more transparent step by step because the sudden collapse of the Soviet Union is not the best for China,' he said.

The Dalai Lama arrived in Taiwan Sunday to bless the survivors of Typhoon Morakot, which hit Taiwan Aug 8, killing nearly 700 people.

He has visited the typhoon disaster areas, comforted survivors and held a prayer meeting for typhoon victims attended by 15,000 people.

'Democratisation is the trend of the world,' he said Thursday.