The 41st Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will take place in Montreal, Canada, from September 27 to October 7. As the first ICAO triennial Assembly to take place since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event carries the theme “Reconnecting the world,” which holds deep significance for the postpandemic recovery of the global civil aviation community and highlights the international community’s common goal of working together to promote global aviation development and safety.
In a joint press conference on the morning of September 22, Secretary General Lily L. W. Hsu of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and Director General Lin Kuo-shian of the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA), Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC), reiterated the government of Taiwan’s staunch determination to promote Taiwan’s ICAO bid and its associated appeals, urging ICAO to accept Taiwan into its fold at the earliest possible juncture. They also confirmed that a government delegation will travel to Montreal to seek understanding and support for Taiwan’s involvement in ICAO from a wide range of stakeholders.
Secretary General Hsu said that MOFA has continued to communicate and coordinate closely with the CAA in seeking an invitation to the triennial ICAO Assembly. She said that although the CAA was yet to receive an invitation, the government would continue to work tirelessly and actively until the last possible moment. MOFA calls on ICAO to uphold professional neutrality, put political considerations aside, and give proper regard to the necessity of Taiwan’s pragmatic participation. This year, the aforementioned government delegation will visit Montreal to actively convey to the international community Taiwan’s demand for pragmatic participation. The delegation will also hold bilateral talks with delegations from diplomatic allies and like-minded countries and conduct various professional exchanges with other countries at a technical level, demonstrating that Taiwan can contribute to ICAO and global aviation safety.
Secretary General Hsu also stressed that China’s recent live-fire military exercises in the airspace and waters around Taiwan had deliberately escalated the military threat against Taiwan. She said that this irresponsible and provocative move by China had affected international air traffic and posed a grave danger to regional and global aviation safety. She added that this also highlighted the importance of ICAO accepting Taiwan so that civil aviation authorities overseeing every Flight Information Region (FIR) around the world could jointly safeguard global aviation safety.
Director General Lin said that the theme of “Reconnecting the world” chosen for this year’s ICAO Assembly highlights the importance of collaboration among all stakeholders of the international civil aviation community and their expectations regarding postpandemic recovery. Noting that the Taipei FIR is an indispensable part of the more than 300 FIRs around the world, Director General Lin said that Taiwan will do its utmost to maintain aviation safety and endeavor to comply with ICAO’s Standards and Recommended Practices.
As part of its bid for participation this year, MOFA has devised the slogan “Reconnecting the world—Reconnecting Taiwan and ICAO” and drawn up an accompanying design that calls on ICAO to accept Taiwan and thereby realize the goal of seamless skies around the world. MOFA has also produced a promotional short film, Reconnection, emphasizing Taiwan’s outstanding performance in various fields of aviation and its efforts to meet the standards set out by ICAO. To raise the international civil aviation community’s understanding of Taiwan’s appeal to participate in ICAO and achievements in the world of aviation, Taiwan’s delegation will carry out a range of professional exchanges while in Montreal during the first week of the assembly, including an international press conference, a specialist seminar, and a diplomatic reception. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada is coordinating with the campaign and assisting with local publicity so that Taiwan’s message can be heard around the world. MOFA also wishes to thank members of the overseas compatriot community for voluntarily taking the initiative to organize activities in solidarity and assisting the government in increasing awareness of Taiwan’s campaign throughout the international community.
MOFA extends sincere gratitude to its diplomatic allies and like-minded nations for their wide-ranging and visible displays of support, and for affirming the active role that Taiwan plays in the global civil aviation community. MOFA calls on ICAO to give proper regard to the high expectations and need of Taiwan’s 23 million people to be involved in ICAO and accept Taiwan for its contributions and efforts in the field of global aviation safety. (E)
