The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations passed a resolution on Tuesday in support of Taiwan’s observer status in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
The committee approved the resolution, initiated by Democratic Senator Robert Menendez who served as a co-chair of the Senate Taiwan Caucus, by a voice vote.
Taiwan’s representative office in the US said in a statement that the resolution showed the importance attached to this issue by the US Congress.
The committee argued that the exclusion of Taiwan from the ICAO has prevented the organization from developing a truly global strategy to address security threats.
Permitting Taiwan to participate in ICAO meetings and activities as an observer, the resolution said, would not only facilitate realization of the organization’s goals but also better protect aviation security through closer international cooperation. The resolution urged the US government to take the lead in seeking international support for Taiwan’s ICAO observer status and required the US Department of State to consult or brief Congress on its efforts.
The committee took note of Taiwan’s importance to aviation services in the region. The Taipei Flight Information Region, under the jurisdiction of Taiwan, covers 176,000 square nautical miles (603,700 square kilometers) of airspace and provides air traffic control services to more than 1.35 million flights annually.
It also pointed to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport as the world’s 8th and 18th largest airport by international cargo volume and by number of international passengers respectively.
Many US senators, including Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl, co-initiated the resolution.
It was not the first time the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations had taken a stand on Taiwan’s participation in the international community. The committee passed a resolution in 2004 supporting Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly — the decision-making body at the WHO — as an observer.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
RSS