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.