Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee (李大維) on Wednesday said that he hopes Beijing will not undertake any “negative actions” to Taiwan’s participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and further hinder the normalization of cross-strait relations.
Lee’s remark was in reference to comments made by Beijing earlier on Wednesday regarding Taiwan’s attendance at an ICAO meeting in Montreal, Canada, later this month.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesperson Ma Xiaoguang (馬曉光) said that the “one China” principle is a necessary premise to any Taiwanese participation at international organization activities, adding that cross-strait negotiations must be initiated for arrangements.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
Ma added that the refusal of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration to recognize the so-called “1992 consensus” has led to a complete halt in cross-strait communications and related issues.
The “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese government that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Taiwan has so far not received an invitation to attend the ICAO meeting, the ministry said.
Li Kexin (李克新), an official at the People’s Republic of China embassy in the US, on Tuesday said that Beijing’s stance on Taiwanese participation in international organizations has remained unchanged: Taiwan had to agree with the “one China” principle.
“China will maintain its position on the matter, but regulations for each individual organization should nonetheless be observed,” Li said.
The negotiations over whether Taiwan would be able to attend the ICAO should be under way, he said, adding that China has made available many channels, in terms of international civil aviation and other areas, for Taiwanese to receive information that they should.
In response to US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel’s comments that the US supported Taiwan’s increased involvement in international organizations, Li said the US was welcome to make its opinion known, but China’s stance would not change.
“China is opposed to any attempt by Taiwan to split off from China in whatever form — whether in the form of ‘two Chinas’ or ‘one China, one Taiwan’ — in the guise of attending international organizations,” he said.
David Lee said the ICAO is an international body responsible for international aviation safety, adding that attendance of the meeting is not simply an issue pertaining to Taiwan itself, but rather the international community at large.
Taiwan’s attendance at the ICAO meeting, should it prove possible, will provide better guarantees and convenience for international civil aviation safety, the ministry said.
The ministry would not be able to provide a definitive answer as to what name Taiwan would use at the meeting if it receives an invitation, David Lee said, adding that the US has been helpful and ministry officials would be meeting with an “important person” from the US in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Liao Kuo-tung (廖國棟) said that only having the support of the US is not enough, because China also plays an influential role in the organization.
Liao said that the KMT has been making efforts for several years to improve cross-strait relations, which he described as the main factor in Taiwan’s participation in the ICAO assembly in 2013.
He said that Taiwan was able to attend the previous ICAO assembly because China extended a high level of goodwill at that time.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) urged the government to make greater efforts to improve Taiwan’s international space, while seeking to maintain good relations with China and the US at the same time.
Additional Reporting by CNA
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