Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday expressed his sincere thanks to US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy for calling for Taiwan’s inclusion in the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) technical work regardless of politics.
The ministry relayed Lin’s thanks in a statement issued after Duffy’s remarks on the first day of the ICAO’s triennial general assembly in Montreal on Tuesday.
Duffy said that for the sake of global safety, countries that threaten aviation security should be excluded from the ICAO leadership, while all stakeholders, including Taiwan, must be included in its technical work regardless of politics.
Photo: screen grab from Sean Duffy’s X account
“There is no room for politics on this question — this is about safety and security of the global system we all enjoy, and of which Taiwan plays an active part,” he said.
Civil Aviation Administration of China Deputy Administrator Liang Nan (梁楠) hit back against Duffy’s comments on Taiwan, saying “there is only one China in the world.”
Last month, US lawmakers urged the ICAO to oppose China’s decision to unilaterally extend a flight route in the Taiwan Strait.
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it sternly condemns Liang’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 and Beijing’s “one China principle,” intended to use political manipulation to block Taiwan’s participation in international organizations and multilateral mechanisms.
The ministry reiterated that the Republic of China is an independent sovereign country, and it and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are not subordinate to each other — which is the “status quo” of the Taiwan Strait that is recognized by the international community.
UN Resolution 2758 does not mention Taiwan, nor state that Taiwan is a part of the PRC, and it did not give China the right to represent Taiwan in the UN, the ministry said.
Only Taiwan’s democratically elected government can represent Taiwan in the ICAO, the UN system and other international bodies, it said.
The Civil Aviation Administration is the only authority that maintains the safety of the Taipei Flight Information Region, providing traffic control services for more than 1 million flights per year, so including Taiwan in the ICAO can ensure the integrity and safety of the global civil aviation system, the ministry said.
It urged the ICAO to firmly reject China’s political pressure, and invite Taiwan to its meetings, mechanism and events.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Duffy also criticized the UN aviation group for not focusing enough on safety and security.
“Over the years, this body has extended itself far beyond its proper mandate — wasting critical resources on social programs or climate financing initiatives that have nothing to do with the safety, security and efficiency of the global air transportation system,” he said.
“Our ability to achieve this reform will factor into how [US] President [Donald] Trump and the United States evaluate support for ICAO moving forward,” Duffy said.
European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas told the assembly that environmental targets, such as achieving net zero emissions by 2050, are in line with its goals on safety and security.
“None of these elements can be viewed in isolation,” he said.
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