Taiwan’s attendance at the ongoing 38th International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly as a “guest” was an idea proposed by China, ICAO Council President Roberto Kobeh-Gonzalez told Taiwanese reporters covering the event in Montreal yesterday.
Kobeh-Gonzalez’s remarks were reported online in several media outlets when Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) was at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee in the legislature, prompting lawmakers to seek answers from the minister.
Because China was opposed to the US’ idea that Taiwan be invited to the assembly as an observer, it suggested that Taiwan participate as a guest, and the suggestion was accepted by all, Lin said in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉).
“This only occurred as a result of compromise,” David Lin added.
According to several reports in Taiwanese media that have sent their reporters to cover the assembly, Kobeh-Gonzalez told them that he invited Taiwan to the event “at the suggestion of the government of China.”
Kobeh-Gonzalez sent a letter of invitation to “Chinese Taipei Civil Aeronautics Administration” Director-General Jean Shen (沈啟) inviting administration experts and officials to be his “guests” at the assembly.
At the opening of the assembly on Tuesday, Shen and her delegation members entered the conference hall of the ICAO headquarters with the name badges listing them as a “Guest” from the “Chinese Taipei CAA,” the first time in 42 years that the country was able to present at the UN’s specialized agency after it abandoned its seat in the UN in 1971.
The presence at the ICAO assembly was hailed by the government, while US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton both issued statements to welcome the invitation for Taiwan to attend the assembly.
However, the nomenclature of Taiwan’s participation in the assembly remained an issue of concern for the DPP, ranging from the name of the delegation, which the DPP said would be mistaken for a local civil aviation authority in Taipei, China, the one-time invitation and now the initiative by China to put Taiwan on the guest list using the Chinese Taipei designation.
DPP Legislator Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) told the committee he worried that the arrangements for Taiwan to be present at the ICAO assembly could lead to Taiwan’s international space being further squeezed.
The government has been saying that the presence of Taiwan at the assembly was facilitated by the US, Lin Chia-lung said.
“However, what Kobeh-Gonzalez has said today was a clear message to the international community that invitations for Taiwan to participate in international activities must go through China,” Lin Chia-lung added.
Taiwan’s international space will only get narrower, Lin Chia-lung said.
David Lin told Lin Chia-lung that he could be assured that the model enabling the country’s access to the ICAO assembly this year would not be applied to its quest for participation in other international organizations.
“It’s not an established model [of our international participation],” he said.
As far as the ICAO is concerned, Taiwan will continue to strive to participate in related ICAO meeting, mechanisms and activities as an observer, he added.
The attendance at this year’s assembly was the first positive step forward toward the goal, David Lin said.
“We have to reach out [internationally],” he added.
Meanwhile, at a regular press conference at China’s Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing yesterday, spokesman Yang Yi (楊毅) was asked by a Taiwanese reporter to comment on Kobeh-Gonzalez’s remarks.
“The way that the Chinese Taipei CAA was invited by the ICAO council president as his guest reflects our goodwill to our Taiwanese compatriots and sincerity to maintain the momentum of peaceful development of cross-strait relations,” Yang said.
Shen on Tuesday denied that Taiwan’s aviation data was being sent to the ICAO through China, responding to a remark by an ICAO consultant that Taiwan’s information should be forwarded via China under the “one China” policy.
The CAA has always posted its aeronautical information on its Web site, allowing open access to the data, Shen said.
Taiwan has never asked China to forward aviation information to the ICAO, she said at a party hosted by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada to welcome Taiwan’s delegation to the ICAO assembly.
Shen was responding to a remark by ICAO consultant Denis Chagnon, who told Taiwanese reporters earlier in the day that Taiwan’s aviation data should be passed to the ICAO via China as the ICAO is under the UN, which adheres to the “one China” policy.
The policy refers to Beijing’s claim that there is only one state called China and Taiwan is a part of that entity.
Shen said it has been difficult for Taiwan to receive ICAO information on matters such as air safety since Taiwan is not a member of the agency.
She said she hopes Taiwan will be given such information directly following the assembly.
Additional reporting by CNA
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS