Washington - The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a legislation, 425 to 0 to be precise, on Wednesday calling on the State Department to submit a plan to help Taiwan regain its observer status at the World Health Organization.

Congressional aides said they expected President Joe Biden to sign the measure into law as reported by Reuters.

Taiwan is excluded from most global organizations such as the WHO, the U.N. health agency, because of the objections of China, which considers the island one of its provinces and not a separate country.

Taiwan was stripped of its observer status at the World Health Assembly in 2017.

Taiwan raised its alert level since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, suspicious that Beijing might make a similar move on the island, though no such signs have come to light so far.

Similar concerns have fueled efforts in the United States to support Taiwan, such as increasing its participation in international organizations like the WHO.
-Reuters