Taiwan’s return to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) after 42 years should be a happy event. Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) Director-General Jean Shen (沈啟) was so moved that she almost cried. However, at a press conference, ICAO Council President Roberto Kobeh-Gonzalez shattered the Taiwanese government’s hopes when he said that Taiwan was invited as a guest at China’s suggestion, thus embarrassing President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and his administration, who had wanted to take credit for the country’s participation in the meeting.
Beijing has been the major obstacle to Taiwan’s participation in international organizations. Because of Beijing’s demand that countries and organizations block Taiwan from participating in international activities, Taiwan is completely locked out — the exceptions being the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Olympic Games, where the country can participate under the title “Chinese Taipei”.
Taiwan had strong hopes for participating as a major player. The US Congress supported Taiwan’s presence and US President Barack Obama signed a law supporting Taiwan’s membership and worked to gain the support of other member countries to support Taiwan’s participation.
Still, Kobeh-Gonzalez’s statement gave the credit to China, with the result that the US delegation’s address did not mention Taiwan. After learning about Kobeh-Gonzalez’s statement, the US delegation decided to issue a statement by the US Department of State stressing that Taiwan’s participation was the result of international cooperation to avoid the impression that it was a unilateral decision by China. This was an expression of the US government’s dissatisfaction with the situation.
Kobeh-Gonzalez clearly did not fully understand the US’ role in Taiwan-related issues and he was not very sensitive to the complexities of cross-strait relations. Although China is expanding its international influence, the US is still the world’s most powerful nation. China is a regional power and the US is acknowledging China’s position as a stakeholder in the international community, but it does not want to see China rise to take its place. When it comes to cross-strait relations, the US is the guarantor of Taiwan’s security and it would never accept Chinese demands on issues concerning Taiwan’s international participation. This is why the US and China are competing in the ICAO and neither wants to be the loser.
Taiwan wanted ICAO membership or at least to be allowed as an observer, like in the WHO. However, due to China’s opposition, the Taiwanese delegation was only allowed to attend as “guests.” The ICAO’s initial refusal to issue accreditation to Taiwanese reporters also highlighted China’s plans to block Taiwan’s participation. ICAO attendance is far from the diplomatic breakthrough that the Ma administration has bragged about.
The statement by Kobeh-Gonzalez broke a long-standing rule that one should not state in unambiguous terms the nature of the cross-strait relationship. His violation embarrassed Taipei, Washington and Beijing.
During the administration of former presidents Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), the government was able to maintain national dignity despite the difficult international situation. In the international arena, they were able to obtain the appropriate status for the nation. Now Ma’s spineless government is satisfied with and even boasts of having managed to get China to agree to Taiwan’s attendance as a guest, even though it failed to gain membership or even observer status in the ICAO.
It is employment pass renewal season in Singapore, and the new regime is dominating the conversation at after-work cocktails on Fridays. From September, overseas employees on a work visa would need to fulfill the city-state’s new points-based system, and earn a minimum salary threshold to stay in their jobs. While this mirrors what happens in other countries, it risks turning foreign companies away, and could tarnish the nation’s image as a global business hub. The program was announced in 2022 in a bid to promote fair hiring practices. Points are awarded for how a candidate’s salary compares with local peers, along
China last month enacted legislation to punish —including with the death penalty — “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists.” The country’s leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), need to be reminded about what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has said and done in the past. They should think about whether those historical figures were also die-hard advocates of Taiwanese independence. The Taiwanese Communist Party was established in the Shanghai French Concession in April 1928, with a political charter that included the slogans “Long live the independence of the Taiwanese people” and “Establish a republic of Taiwan.” The CCP sent a representative, Peng
Japan and the Philippines on Monday signed a defense agreement that would facilitate joint drills between them. The pact was made “as both face an increasingly assertive China,” and is in line with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s “effort to forge security alliances to bolster the Philippine military’s limited ability to defend its territorial interests in the South China Sea,” The Associated Press (AP) said. The pact also comes on the heels of comments by former US deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, who said at a forum on Tuesday last week that China’s recent aggression toward the Philippines in
The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday announced that the military would hold its annual Han Kuang exercises from July 22 to 26. Military officers said the exercises would feature unscripted war games, and a decentralized command and control structure. This year’s exercises underline the recent reforms in Taiwan’s military as it transitions from a top-down command structure to one where autonomy is pushed down to the front lines to improve decisionmaking and adaptability. Militaries around the world have been observing and studying Russia’s war in Ukraine. They have seen that the Ukrainian military has been much quicker to adapt to