TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The EU held a video conference with Health Minister and Central Epidemic Command Center head Chen Shi-chung (陳時中) to discuss recent coronavirus developments.

The Taipei-based European Economic and Trade Office (EETO) said on Facebook that the meeting took place Tuesday (May 25), adding that the EU “stands by the people of Taiwan in these challenging times.”

The conference occurred the same day Chen announced that the nationwide Level 3 restrictions would be extended to June 14. Taiwan has been experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks after over a year of successfully keeping the virus at bay.

Despite the COVID challenges it currently faces, Taiwan was once again not invited to the World Health Assembly (WHA) which kicked off Monday (May 24), marking the fifth consecutive year the country has failed to participate in the World Health Organization's annual leadership meeting.

As a last-ditch effort, the East Asian nation had called on its allies and partners to submit proposals to the WHA advocating its inclusion.

Though it was unable to join this year’s WHA, Taiwan saw a wave of international support, including encouraging words from G7 foreign ministers, the French Senate, Danish Parliament, and the Slovak Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee.