washington the us senate passed a bill late on thursday calling on the state department to submit a plan to help taiwan regain its observer status at the world health organization one of several us bids to boost taiwan as it faces pressure from beijingtaiwan is excluded from most global organizations such as the who the un health agency because of the objections of china which considers the island one of its provinces and not a separate countrythe legislation passed by unanimous consent was sponsored by senators bob menendez the democratic chairman of the senate foreign relations committee and jim inhofe the top republican on the senate armed services committeethe two are also cochairmen of the senate taiwan caucusthe us must continue to stand by taiwan and do more to reaffirm our support for our allys international engagement menendez said in a statement on fridaythe measure directs the secretary of state to establish a strategy for obtaining observer status at the world health assembly the decisionmaking body of the whothe house of representatives foreign affairs committee approved a similar bill earlier this year but there has been no word on when the measure might come up for a vote in the full house