GENEVA, May 14 (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) refused on Monday to consider membership for Taiwan, agreeing at its annual assembly with China that only sovereign states could join.

Taiwan, a self-governed island of 23 million people seen by China as a breakaway province, warns its exclusion from the 193-state United Nations' agency undermines international efforts to fight diseases such as bird flu.

For the past 10 years, Taiwan has unsuccessfully sought observer status at the WHO, but this year the small group of countries that recognise Taipei went one step further and pushed for a debate on possible membership.

But the call was rejected by 148 votes to 17.

Taiwan argues that China showed indifference to the island when the SARS epidemic struck there four years ago, causing delays in the dispatching of WHO medical experts. Taiwan has not had a human case of H5N1 bird flu though the deadly virus has reached its neighbours Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, as well as mainland China.

"Were any epidemic to break out in Taiwan, it would spread to many places in the world in a short period of time. This would be a heavy blow to the health and safety of everyone around the globe," Taiwanese President Shui-bian Chen said in a videoconference with journalists in Geneva last week.

"Taiwan needs to be able to comprehensively and effectively participate in the international public health network and collaborate closely with other nations," he said.

However, under the terms of a memorandum of understanding signed two years ago between China and the WHO, Beijing will allow the U.N. agency to send experts to investigate any outbreak of disease on the island and Taiwanese health officials have been able to attend some WHO technical meetings.

China considers Taiwan part of its territory and opposes its membership of most international organisations, although it did agree to its becoming part of the World Trade Organisation in 2001.

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