TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Formosa Club in Europe urged International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano to include Taiwan in the 41st ICAO assembly session in a letter signed by 142 club members on Tuesday (Sept. 20).
The letter pointed out that Taiwan is an important air traffic hub linking Northeast and Southeast Asia. The Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR), which sees heavy air traffic, is adjacent to Fukuoka, Manila, Hong Kong, and Shanghai FIRs and oversees 18 international air routes and four domestic air routes, the club members said.
They added that Taiwan is an integral part of the global aviation network, but it is unreasonably excluded from ICAO meetings, activities, and mechanisms and therefore cannot obtain comprehensive ICAO information in a timely manner, per a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) press release. In addition, China unilaterally conducts military exercises around Taiwan, seriously affecting international air routes and jeopardizing the flight safety of Taipei and its neighboring FIRs, the letter noted.
The co-signers said aviation safety transcends national borders and should not be politicized. They called on ICAO to invite Taiwan to attend the 41st ICAO assembly session to implement the organization’s goal of a seamless aviation safety network.
The signatories were from a total of 30 parliaments, including the European Parliament, E.U. member states, the U.K., Switzerland, Norway, Kosovo, and Canada, MOFA said. This act of support follows the resolutions passed by the European Affairs Committee of the Slovakia Parliament and the European Parliament backing Taiwan's participation in this year’s ICAO assembly session, it added.
“Taiwan will continue working with like-minded international partners to fulfill its responsibilities as a member of the global community, jointly defend the rules-based international order, and promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region,” MOFA said.
The Formosa Club in Europe was established on October 16, 2019. After Beijing ramped up military drills around Taiwan in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit, the club issued a joint statement expressing concern over China's military intimidation against Taiwan, which it said escalates tension and seeks to alter the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.
