China criticises Buttigieg backing of Taiwan at UN civil aviation body
- US transport chief tells assembly Taipei should be able to ‘participate meaningfully’ in ICAO’s work
- Comments ‘attempt to create two Chinas, contrary to United Nations charter’ is Beijing representative’s response
Speaking at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) assembly on Tuesday, US transport secretary Pete Buttigieg said “all of international civil aviation’s important stakeholders – particularly those who administer critical airspace, like Taiwan – should have the opportunity to participate meaningfully in ICAO’s work”.
A Chinese government representative at the ICAO responded by saying: “The American comments attempted to create two Chinas, one China and one Taiwan. This is contrary to the United Nations charter.”
Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state. Washington, however, opposes any attempt to take the island by force, something Beijing has not ruled out.
Earlier this month, Taiwanese transport minister Wang Kwo-tsai called on the world to back Taiwan’s ICAO participation.
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Mainland China military exercises continue around Taiwan beyond announced deadline
In an opinion piece published by The Diplomat, Wang noted that the Taipei Flight Information Region is part of ICAO’s network of regions and the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) of Taiwan is the “sole entity overseeing, and is responsible for safe air traffic management throughout” the region.
In August, Wang commented on the disruption to commercial flights caused by PLA exercises near the island.
“China unilaterally conducted military exercises around Taiwan on short notice. This affected international air routes and jeopardised aviation safety in the Taipei region and neighbouring regions,” he said.
