Seminar organizers on Monday blocked several academics of Taiwan from participating in an online event after they declared themselves Taiwanese.

Following the refusal, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs instructed authorities to negotiate with the International Centre for Theoretical Physics to express the island’s solemn stance.

Officials should also urge the United Nations-linked research institute to stop overriding academic exchanges with politics, the ministry said.

The center operates under a tripartite agreement between the Italian government, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

It is not the only organization to have barred Taiwan’s participation. The self-governed island was also blocked from taking part in this year’s World Health Assembly as an observer, despite being one of the few regions to be able to fully assert control over the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou expressed regret and dissatisfaction at the center’s decision, saying U.N. agencies exerted “unreasonable suppression” to Taiwan and bowed to Beijing’s pressure.

According to new U.N. regulations that took effect in May last year, activities organized by the UNESCO “cannot accept Taiwanese participation.”

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