Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou on Tuesday protested to China for allegedly pressuring the World Health Organisation into telling its officials to refer to the island as a Chinese province.

"I want to express our stern protest to mainland China... as the president I have to defend our national dignity, Taiwan's safety and the people's welfare," Ma, who has been president since 2008, told a press conference.

"The two sides have both made efforts to build mutual trust in the past three years and I urge China to treasure such an accomplishment and not to go back to the old ways."

Tensions mounted between Taiwan and China under the island's former pro-independence government but have eased significantly since Ma took office on a Beijing-friendly platform.

This is believed to have enabled Taiwan to be invited in 2009 to attend the annual meeting of of the World Health Assembly, the highest decision-making body of the WHO, in the name of Chinese Taipei.

However, an outcry erupted in Taiwan on Monday when an opposition lawmaker released what she said was an internal WHO document obtained from an international organisation.

The memorandum allegedly said WHO communications "must use the terminology 'the Taiwan Province of China'" when referring to Taiwan.

"Information related to the Taiwan Province of China must be listed or shown as falling under China and not separately as if they referred to a state," the memorandum was reported to say.

Taiwan will also lodge a strong protest to the WHO for bowing to pressure from China to "belittle Taiwan's national dignity and hurt Taiwan's sovereignty," Ma said.

China still regards Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

It opposes Taiwan participation in -- or attendance at -- international organisations even though the island has ruled itself since a split in 1949 at the end of a civil war.