The US House of Representatives has voted unanimously in favor of a bill that aims to recover Taiwan’s observer status at the World Health Assembly. The assembly is the main decision-making body of the World Health Organization.
Taiwan had observer status at the assembly from 2009 to 2016, during a period of warmer relations between Beijing and Taiwan’s government, led by the Kuomintang at the time.
Since President Tsai Ing-wen and the Democratic Progressive Party came to power in 2016, Beijing has objected to Taiwan’s observer status. It has also sought to exclude Taiwan from other international organizations.
On Wednesday, members of Congress voted to direct the US Secretary of State to develop a strategy to regain observer status for Taiwan in the World Health Assembly.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry has welcomed the move. It says the bill is a sign of the United States’ “strong support” for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, with less than a month to go before the World Health Assembly meets on May 22.
The bill will now go to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.