Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said Tuesday that China expressed "regret" over Japan's position on the Taiwan-related proposal at the 57th World Health Assembly.

The 57th World Health Assembly (WHA) adopted with an overwhelming majority in Geneva on Monday a decision not to include on the agenda a proposal set forth by the Solomon Islands and a few other countries to invite Taiwan to participate in the WHA as an observer.

When asked for China's comment on the fact that Japan voted for the proposal, Liu said "we can only express our regret over Japan's attitude in the course of voting."