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

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

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

"The people of Taiwan abhor the two-faced behavior of the Chinese government, which claims to care for their health and welfare while actually seeking to deprive them of their right to health at every turn," Wu added.

Taiwan's seat at the United Nations was handed to China in 1971 and Beijing insists that Taiwan, the self-governing island republic it claims as its own territory, has no right to diplomatic relations or membership in U.N. bodies.

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

Taiwan insists China has never been authorized to represent it.