Why Leaving Out One of Asia’s Largest Air Hubs Risks Global Air Travel Safety
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) meets every three years. Taiwan, one of Asia’s busiest air hubs, was yet again left out due to Chinese obstruction. Taiwan’s Taipei Flight Information Region (Taipei FIR) sees over 300 flights daily. The country’s absence from the ICAO causes gaps in international aviation safety. However, many of Taiwan’s allies have expressed their support this year, from the U.S., Canada, Germany, the Czech Republic, to Lithuania. Taiwan Talks takes a deep dive into the country’s strategically important location in East Asian aviation amid rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait as China ramps up its military intimidation campaign. In this episode, Stephen Tan, Managing Director of the International Policy Advisory Group, and Albert Chiu, Professor at Tunghai University’s Department of Political Science, discuss the implications of Taiwan’s exclusion and how the country is gaining global support in expanding its international space. We also hear from Fan Yun, DPP Legislator, who works with legislative bodies around the world to advocate for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, and Rick Fisher, Senior Fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center on the security risks of Taiwan’s exclusion from the ICAO. Topics discussed: - Role of ICAO in global air travel and how it has evolved since Taiwan’s last participation in 2013 - “Taiwan Can Help” and how soft power has brought in more support from allies in joining international organizations such as the ICAO - What impact does the exclusion of Taiwan in the ICAO have on air travel safety? - Role of Taiwan’s Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) in global civil aviation security - Has there been a change to global attitudes towards Taiwan and in what ways should the country work to rejoin ICAO? - How Taiwan’s exclusion from the ICAO poses an immediate military threat from China in its quest to invade and take over Taiwan - Could the ICAO punish China for military aggression over Taiwan the same way it did to Russia in the context of Ukraine? - How China’s military exercises have violated international aviation norms and violated ICAO regulations - Will Taiwan's participation in ICAO help strengthen its aerial security against Chinese intrusion? - Reason behind Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation’s public support for Taiwan’s participation in ICAO at the UN General Assembly
