Taiwan Makes Strong Case for ICAO Membership
Basseterre, St. Kitts– The Republic of China (Taiwan) is hoping its attendance of the 38th Session of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly in 2013 would move them one step closer to regaining its seat in the aviation body.
In the Assembly, Taiwan has gained better knowledge of the development of international aviation standards, obtain first-hand information crucial to aviation safety, and be able to exchange views on the international civil aviation matter with other countries and members of international civil aviation community.
In making its case, the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) says Taiwan is an integral part of the global aviation network. The Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport was ranked 16th globally in international passenger traffic by the Airports Council International (ACI) in 2012, and 58 domestic and foreign airlines connect Taiwan to 117 cities across the world.
International support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the aviation body has been widely acknowledged by stakeholders around the world.
The Taiwanese government also believes that its participation in this year’s ICAO Assembly will allow them to not only closely observe deliberations and gain a better understanding of various aviation issues, but also to contribute to global endeavors to ensure the safety, convenience and efficiency of international air transport.
Taiwan can contribute to regional and global aviation safety by sharing its advanced aviation technologies. One example is the Communications, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) system proposed by the ICAO in the late 1980s for the development of a globally coordinated system of air navigation services that would cope with the worldwide growth in air traffic demand. According to the government, Taiwan has made tremendous progress in developing the system and finding solutions to technical problems that emerged during the process, and was the first Asian country to put the system into service in 2011.
Attending last year’s ICAO Assembly was regarded as part of the concrete step forward for Taiwan in its ICAO campaign since 2009.