TAIPEI — It will be hard for Taiwan to attend this year's World Health Organisation annual assembly, and it hopes more countries will support its presence, the island's foreign minister said on Thursday after the United States pressed for an invite.

Taiwan is excluded from most international organisations because of objections by China, which considers the democratically governed island its own territory.

Taiwan attended the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer from 2009 to 2016 under the administration of then-President Ma Ying-jeou, who signed landmark trade and tourism agreements with China. But Beijing began blocking Taiwan's participation in 2017 after President Tsai Ing-wen won office.

Speaking to reporters in parliament, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu noted a Wednesday statement from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in which he said the United States "strongly encourages" the WHO to reinstate Taiwan's invitation.

"When it comes to attending this year's WHA there may be some difficulties, but we are continuing to work hard, as before, to get more countries to support us," Wu said, without elaborating on those problems.

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