"In 2017, the island's constitutional court ruled that same-sex couples had the right to legally marry," BBC reported.

The country's Parliament was given two-year deadline to follow the move. It had to pass the changes by May 24, reports said.

As per BBC, lawmakers debated three different bills to legalise same-sex unions and the government's bill, the most progressive of the three, was passed.

Hundreds of  gay rights supporters had assembled outside the parliament to witness the ruling.

As results were declared, the supporters were seen shouting in joy and even embracing each other to welcome the decision.

The new law will come to effect from May 24.

Reactions:

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen tweeted: " On May 17th, 2019 in #Taiwan, #LoveWon. We took a big step towards true equality, and made Taiwan a better country. ."

Wu Tzu-an, a 33-year-old gay artist from Taipei,  welcomed the move and told CNN: ""Today the result was the best we got for this stage."

"It's also a sign to show that Taiwan was different from China," he added, referring to mainland China where same-sex marriage has not been legalized. "Personally I don't have plans to get married, but I think it's a sign for equality," the artist said.

Xiaogang Wei, who heads the Beijing Gender Health Education Institute, described it as a 'historic moment'.

He told CNN: "It will have a very positive impact on China's LGBT community, offering us a lot of hope."