Taiwan's new representative to the United States has paid courtesy visits to two leaders of the US Congress' Taiwan Caucus.

During the visit on Thursday, Joseph Wu, who formally assumed his post this week, met with the US Congress members to exchange views.

Wu said that the free trade agreement (FTA) between the United States and South Korea has put Taiwan at a disadvantage. Wu also expressed his strong wish that the US Congress will push for a US-Taiwan FTA.

Wu said the issue of Taiwan's bid to join the World Health Organization (WHO) as a full member under the name "Taiwan" instead of "the Republic of China," is a decision for the people of Taiwan. Taiwan has tried to join the WHO as an observer for the past ten years, but China has repeatedly blocked Taiwan's participation. That's because China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, even though the two sides have been ruled separately for nearly 60 years.