US Senators Support Bill to Join Taiwan in ICAO

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 (CNA) U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (Republican, Texas) and Jeff Markley (Democrat, Oregon) introduced legislation to Congress on Thursday to promote Taiwan’s participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization. submitted. (ICAO).

The bill, dubbed the Taiwan Aviation Security Act of 2022, requires the U.S. Secretary of State to regularly submit “unclassified reports” to Congress detailing the U.S. government’s efforts and plans. Assembly sessions, conferences, technical working groups, conferences, activities and mechanisms. “

Under the bill, the U.S. Secretary of State will develop a strategy to ensure Taiwan’s meaningful participation in ICAO, and authorize the United Nations specialized agencies to use “voices and votes” to achieve that goal. Authorized to direct envoys.

According to the proposal, the U.S. envoy should also “seek to secure a vote at the next ICAO triennial plenary session on the issue of Taiwan’s participation in that plenary session.”

The 41st ICAO Triennale General Assembly was held from September 27th to October 7th at the Montreal headquarters in Canada, Taiwan was not invited.

In a press release issued Thursday, Cruz said ICAO cannot successfully fulfill its mission of ensuring aviation safety while excluding Taiwan.

“This exclusion, and the fact that it is the result of succumbing to political pressure from the Chinese Communist Party, directly jeopardizes ICAO’s credibility as a multilateral organization,” Cruz said.

Meanwhile, Markley pointed out that Taiwan has the fifth largest airport in Asia and plays an important role in the global aviation industry.

“Taiwan’s meaningful participation in ICAO will enable the organization to do a better job,” Markley said. We need to use our voices and votes.”

In response, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at a press conference on Friday (Taipei time) that China’s recent “military provocations” in the waters and airspace around Taiwan “had a serious impact on international air traffic.” rice field.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed the need to include Taiwan in ICAO to ensure the safety of global civil aviation and called on UN agencies to allow Taiwan’s participation.

Formally known as the Republic of China, Taiwan has not been a member of the United Nations since losing its seat to the People’s Republic of China in 1971 and is therefore not a member of ICAO.

Taiwan last attended ICAO’s triennial event in 2013 as a guest of the chairman of the UN agency’s board of directors, a sign of warmer relations between Taiwan and China under Taiwan’s previous Kuomintang Party (KMT) government. against the background of

However, Taiwan has not been invited to subsequent ICAO meetings after relations between Taipei and Beijing began to deteriorate after independence-minded Democratic Progressive Party President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016.