The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader is to be named an honorary citizen of the French capital despite warnings from the Chinese government that his arrival will harm relations with France.

The Dalai Lama criticised Beijing's actions in Tibet since apparent anti-Chinese protests erupted in the region last year.

"Since March 2008 I have the feeling that a very old nation and its heritage and culture have received a death sentence," he told reporters at Paris airport on his arrival.

"The Chinese government makes a hard line policy, but the Chinese people are ignorant of the situation. The international community must go there to investigate, without restrictions."

The Dalai Lama, 73, is to be made an honorary citizen of Paris on Sunday.

On Saturday he met pro-Tibetan French lawmakers and members of the Chinese and Tibetan community in France.

"He seem to us very pessimistic," said Lionnel Luca, president of the French parliament's 170-strong Tibet studies group. "For the first time he told us that the March 2008 events were a provocation by the Chinese authorities."

The lawmaker, a member of President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party, said the Dalai Lama had accused the Chinese state of sending its agents to smash up shops in an effort to blacken the name of Tibetan protest movements.

French officials said it was a coincidence the Dalai Lama would be in Paris at the same time as US President Barack Obama and there are no plans for the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader to meet top political representatives.

"Once more I'm very happy to come to France. The main reason of my visit is to receive the honour, citizen of Paris," the Dalai Lama told reporters.

"It's an opportunity to meet my old friends among politicians, business men, intellectuals and ordinary people."

France is the fourth and final leg of his latest European tour, which he has insisted is not political, but China has given strong warnings to European governments.

France and China have only just patched up relations following Beijing's anger over Sarkozy's meeting with the Dalai Lama in December.

Last month China warned France not to make more "errors" on Tibet.

"If the Paris city government does make this award, it will definitely meet once again with the Chinese people's firm opposition," a foreign ministry spokesman said, describing such moves as meddling in China's internal affairs.

The Socialist mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, has said the award is an initiative of the city and not of the French state.

But those assurances have done nothing to assuage the anger in Beijing, which accuses the Dalai Lama, who has been living in exile in India since 1959, of seeking independence for Tibet from Chinese rule.

Delanoe said "there is no question of interfering" but that "there was also no question of renouncing my convictions, without seeking to be provocative."

The Dalai Lama kicked off his latest European tour in Denmark last Friday and has also visited Iceland and the Netherlands.

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