US lawmakers throw weight behind Taiwan’s ICAO bid

2016/10/04

Recent shows of public support by members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization spotlight the need for the country to play a role in the U.N. specialized agency.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, former chairwoman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, tweeted Sept. 23 that the decision to exclude Taiwan from ICAO’s 39th assembly running Sept. 27 to Oct. 7 in Montreal was “misguided and shortsighted.”

Four other U.S. lawmakers, including Sen. Cory Gardner, chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy, also tweeted regret over the matter.

In addition, official statements of disappointment regarding Taiwan’s absence from the assembly were issued by Rep. Matt Salmon, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific; and Sens. Robert Menendez, a co-chair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus; and Marco Rubio, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights and Global Women’s Issues.

Reps. Gerald E. Connolly, Mario Diaz-Balart, Gregg Harper and Albio Sires, all co-chairs of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, released Sept. 22 a joint statement on behalf of the 214-member group—the second largest country caucus in the House. It highlighted the importance of the U.S. continuing to push for Taiwan’s inclusion in ICAO.

“Airports in Taiwan handle large cargo and passenger volumes, and for the sake of passenger safety and international security, Taiwan must be allowed to participate in ICAO,” the statement said.

Two days earlier, Rep. Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a long-time advocate of Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, reiterated in an official release his backing of the nation.

“As East Asia’s busiest airspace, it is without question that Taiwan should have access to the latest technologies and standards in civil aviation safety,” Royce said. “It is in the best interest of public safety.”

In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Oct. 1 that the Republic of China (Taiwan) government is grateful for such steadfast support. “At a time when Congress is busy negotiating and reviewing bills, the lawmakers’ positive comments underscore the firm friendship between the two sides.”

Taiwan took part in the 38th assembly held in September 2013 as a special guest of then-ICAO Council President Roberto Kobeh Gonzalez. This was the first time in 42 years it had been invited to participate in an official meeting of the body responsible for setting international aviation standards and promoting air safety.

The country is an important part of global aviation responsible for managing large numbers of aircraft in the Taipei Flight Information Region, which covers 180,000 square nautical miles and provided services to nearly 1.53 million controlled flights carrying 58 million travelers last year.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=248304&ctNode=2194&mp=9)