so, cindy sui joins us from taipei. we are not then goir see so, we are not then going to see taiwan at this assembly? it doesn't look like it. despite the intense lobbying effort and unprecedented international support, taiwan still has not received an invitation from the who to attend the world health assembly starting today. even though it is a virtual meeting and many would argue that taiwan could easily be included, it doesn't look like it will be. and the main reason is because despite the fact that taiwan was able to attend as an observer from 2009 to 2016 under the previous administration, which had accepted the concept of one china, that both sides would be able to define what that means. beijing is very much opposed to the current administration which rejects that concept. beijing sees the current administration as pro—independence, doesn't trust their ministration and sees this issue not at all as a health issue but as a national dignity and national sovereignty issue. so it does not want to give the image that, by allowing taiwan to attend the who, is actually supporting

sovereignty over the isalnd since the end of the chinese civil war in 1949. 0ur taipei correspondent cindy suithe message coming from the president? president tsai ing—wen has just finished her speech and her main message is pretty much the same as last time in the inauguration speech, four years ago, reaching out to beijing offering dialogue with china but she says it must be done on the basis of democracy and parity and she said she offered to maintain peace and stability gci’oss to maintain peace and stability across two sides of the taiwan strait but she says a responsibility to remain peace and stability is for both sides, notjust that of taiwan. at the same time, she said that taiwan will not accept the one country to systems formulae that china prescribes with unifying that island. despite its ruling since 1949. so tsai ing—wen was not giving in but she is offering to have peaceful relations and dialogue with beijing. taiwan 's government has won admiration worldwide with the way it is dealt with the coronavirus, how has it done at? taiwan acted very quickly and took really tough action

sovereignty over the island since the end of the chinese civil war in 19119. 0ur taipei correspondent cindy sui speech, cindy, something very miller, i guess? as we are speaking right now she is actually making her speech in the type against us nearby. which is focusing on is the economy, which is what most people are concerned about. it is expected to also talk about cross street relations, relations with mainland china. what is expected to propose is to maintain peace and stability across the two sides of the taiwan strait. also she is asking for dialogue with beijing, but on the basis of equality and democracy. and she is expected to flatly reject the one country, two systems formula under which baiting hopes to reunify with beating one day and under which it took back control of hong kong in 1997. so she is pledging to have good relations with china. she would be offering that olive branch to beijing, at the same time she is standing very firm on her policy that taiwan's democracy and independence must be safeguarded and its freedoms must be protected. cindy, how has the pandemic impacted o

the bbc‘s cindy sui joins us from taipei.about what she had to say today and also how she is viewed around the world, in particular the united states. what tsai ing-wen said todayis states. what tsai ing-wen said today is her administration has made the greatest effort to maintain peace and stability along the straight, basically with china. she said she will continue to do that. she also wa nts continue to do that. she also wants dialogue with beijing but it has to be on the basis of democracy, peace and that the two sides have the duty to create peaceful relations and to prevent antagonism from intensifying. she is willing to work towards that and keep an open mind but at the same time she stands firmly against one—country, two systems, under which beijing wants to unify with taiwan, which it sees as a province, despite the end of the civil war in 1949. this message is not going to sit well with china because for yea rs well with china because for years it has insisted on preconditions of the one china principle, that the t