TAIPEI, Taiwan -- China's efforts to block Taiwan's participation in this year's World Health Assembly (WHA) have damaged cross-Taiwan Strait relations to some extent, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Saturday. Tsai made the comment in a meeting with Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who returned to the Taipei earlier in the day from Geneva, where the WHA meeting is being held. "Taiwanese people have a universal human right to participate in the WHA," Tsai said, adding that Taiwan's participation should not be affected by any political factors. China's hegemonic opposition to Taiwan's attendance at this year's WHA meeting has damaged the future development of cross-strait relations to some extent, she said. Taiwan had taken part in every WHA meeting since then, until this year.

Source: The China Post May 28, 2017 00:00 UTC