WASHINGTON -- US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called on Tuesday to allow Taiwan to participate in a UN body that oversees civil aviation, drawing criticism from the Chinese government.
We believe that all important stakeholders in international civil aviation, particularly those who administer critical airspace, like Taiwan, should have the opportunity to participate meaningfully in the work of the ICAO, said Buttigieg at the International Civil Aviation Organization assembly held every three years and the first since the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Chinese government representative at theICAO said the American comments attempted to create two Chinas, one China and one Taiwan. This is contrary to the United Nations charter. In an opinion piece published in The Diplomat, Taiwanese Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai called for the world to back Taiwan's participation in the ICAO.
He stated that Taiwan's Taipei Flight Information Region is part of the ICAO's network of regions and the Civil Aeronautics Administration CAA of Taiwan is the sole entity overseeing air traffic management throughout the region.
China sees Taiwan as one of its provinces. Beijing has pledged to bring Taiwan under its control for a long time and has not ruled out the use of force to do so.
Taiwan's government strongly opposes China's sovereignty claims and says only 23 million people can decide its future.
In August, the Taiwanese minister said that China unilaterally conducted military exercises around Taiwan on short notice. This affected international air routes, and jeopardized aviation safety in the Taipei region and neighboring regions.
The minister said that the Taiwan CAA had to make plans and guide aircraft, including many foreign aircraft, departing, arriving in or transiting the Taipei region in order to avert danger and alleviate safety concerns. The situation burdened airlines with additional costs due to their need to take longer and more expensive journeys and increased unforeseen risk.