The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its gratitude yesterday to the US House of Representatives for supporting Taiwan’s bid to participate in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
On Tuesday, the House passed US Senate Concurrent Resolution 17 on “Expressing the sense of Congress that Taiwan should be accorded observer status in the International Civil Aviation Organization.”
The move was the final step in the legislative approval of the resolution that was passed by the Senate in September last year, and was welcomed by the ministry.
“This shows that the US Congress attaches great importance to and supports Taiwan’s participation in the international community,” the ministry said in a statement.
The resolution, initiated by US Senator Robert Menendez in May last year, states that Taiwan’s participation in the ICAO will contribute to the success of a global strategy to address aviation security threats using effective international cooperation.
It urges the US government to “take a leading role in garnering international support for the granting of observer status to Taiwan in the ICAO for the purpose of such participation” and asks the US Department of State to brief Congress on the US government’s efforts on the issue.
Though these types of “sense of Congress” resolutions are not legally binding, the passage of Resolution 17 offered a symbolic morale boost to Taiwan, which is not a UN member and so is dependent on support from other countries to gain observer status in the UN specialized agency.
The major obstacle to Taiwan’s bid has been China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory and has consistently refused to recognize the country’s right to join the agency.
Last week, Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), in a meeting with former vice president Lien Chan (連戰) on the sidelines of the APEC leaders’ summit in Vladivostok, Russia, said that China would “seriously study” the possibility of helping Taiwan participate in the ICAO “in an appropriate way.”
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai