China knocks US for urging WHO to invite Taiwan to meeting

China’s government denounced a statement from the Biden administration calling for Taiwan to be included at an upcoming World Health Organization (WHO) meeting on Monday.

A spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry said Monday that a statement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the WHO to extend an invitation to attend the WHO’s meeting later in May to Taiwan’s government was “detrimental” to the cause of fighting future pandemics.

Blinken’s statement, Hua Chunying said, was “detrimental to future global response to public health crises” and “seriously violates the ‘one-China principle,'” which refers to the policy of recognizing Beijing as the government of China over Taiwan, which also refers to itself officially as the “Republic of China.”

“China firmly deplores and rejects it,” Hua added of Blinken’s request.

Taiwan has emerged as a major issue of U.S.-China relations in recent months as Western nations and Taiwan’s government have warned that China appears increasingly likely to exert military control over the island country over which it claims sovereignty despite Taiwan’s claims of independence.

The Chinese government has repeatedly warned the U.S. not to interfere with Taiwan or show support for the Taiwanese government.

The State Department has criticized China for seeking to intimidate Taiwan and other “neighbors” in the region.

“The United States continues to express our strong concerns to Beijing regarding the troubling pattern of ongoing PRC attempts to intimidate its neighbors in the region, including Taiwan,” a State Department spokesperson told The Hill in March, using an abbreviation for the People’s Republic of China. “Our support for Taiwan is rock-solid. We will stand with friends and allies to advance our shared prosperity, security, and values and a free and open Indo-Pacific region — and that includes deepening our unofficial ties with democratic Taiwan.”