Taiwan yesterday hosted a news conference with Canadian lawmakers in Ottawa, urging the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to include Taiwan in its general assembly, which opened today in Montreal.
It was Taiwan’s first time holding a news conference at Canada’s National Press Theatre.
The event had cross-party support from Canada’s legislature, cohosted by Liberal Member of Parliament and Canada-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group cochair Judy Sgro and Conservative Member of Parliament and Shadow Minister for Democratic Reform Michael Cooper.
Photo: CNA
The two Canadian lawmakers said that the Taiwan Flight Information Region (FIR) is an inseparable part of global aviation safety.
Sgro said that Taiwan’s exclusion from the ICAO “endangers not only regional stability, but the safety and security of global air travel.”
Taiwan’s exclusion was “bending to Beijing’s bullying, Cooper said, adding that Taiwan is a “major player in global aviation,” as an international hub with “tens of millions of passengers and cargo” transiting through the nation.
As host of the 42nd ICAO Assembly, Canada should send a clear message to the ICAO that Taiwan’s participation is essential to global aviation safety, Cooper added.
Representative to Canada Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) said that China’s military exercises in recent years have threatened regional air safety, disrupting international flight routes in the Taiwan FIR and putting passenger safety at risk.
Since August 2022, China has conducted at least four large-scale military exercises, none of which were announced seven days in advance as required by ICAO regulations, Tseng said.
“We must not allow political maneuvers to take precedence over aviation safety,” he said. “I urge Canada and all our friends around the world to stand with Taiwan and keep politics out of aviation safety.”
Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) Deputy Director-General Lin Jiunn-liang (林俊良) said that Taiwan’s exclusion from ICAO blocks access to crucial safety information, forcing the CAA to rely on incomplete sources and preventing real-time international coordination.
Only through Taiwan’s meaningful participation can the ICAO’s mission of “no one left behind” be truly realized, Lin said.
The news conference was broadcast live on Canada’s Cable Public Affairs Channel.
The channel also invited Lin for a separate interview explaining the importance of Taiwan’s FIR to Canadian travelers and global aviation safety.
The 42nd ICAO Assembly opened today and runs until Friday next week at ICAO headquarters in Montreal.
Taiwan’s ICAO action team has already traveled to Montreal, where it is to meet with delegations from various countries to explain the necessity of Taiwan’s participation in the ICAO.
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