Taiwan: 'Deep regret' for not being invited to WHA

Taiwan's foreign minister Joseph Wu sharply criticised World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday for failing to invite country to World Health Assembly meeting.

Wu said his ministry said WHO h "yielded to pressure from Chinese government and continues to disregard right to health of 23 million people of Taiwan."

" people of Taiwan abhor two-faced behavior of Chinese government, which claims to care for ir health and welfare while actually seeking to deprive m of ir right to health at every turn," Wu ded.

Taiwan's seat at United Nations was handed to China in 1971 and Beijing insists that Taiwan, self-governing island republic it claims as its own territory, has right to diplomatic relations or membership in U.N. bodies.

Taiwan h been an observer at World Health Assembly in past years when its relations with China were warmer, but Beijing has taken a hard line since 2016 election of independence-leaning Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

Taiwan insists China has never been authorized to represent it.