[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 18, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S3910]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 63--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT 
 TAIWAN SHOULD BE ACCORDED OBSERVER STATUS IN THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL 
                      AVIATION ORGANIZATION (ICAO)

  Mr. JOHNSON submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                            S. Con. Res. 63

       Whereas the Convention on International Civil Aviation, 
     signed in Chicago, Illinois, on December 7, 1944, and entered 
     into force April 4, 1947, approved the establishment of the 
     International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), stating 
     ``The aims and objectives of the Organization are to develop 
     the principles and techniques of international air navigation 
     and to foster the planning and development of international 
     air transport so as to . . . meet the needs of the peoples of 
     the world for safe, regular, efficient and economical air 
     transport'';
       Whereas, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 
     2001, the ICAO convened a High-level Ministerial Conference 
     on Aviation Security that endorsed a global strategy for 
     strengthening aviation security worldwide and issued a public 
     declaration that ``a uniform approach in a global system is 
     essential to ensure aviation security throughout the world 
     and that deficiencies in any part of the system constitute a 
     threat to the entire global system,'' and that there should 
     be a commitment to ``foster international cooperation in the 
     field of aviation security and harmonize the implementation 
     of security measures'';
       Whereas, on January 22, 2010, the Secretary General of the 
     ICAO stated, ``The attempted sabotage of Northwest Airlines 
     Flight 253 on December 25, 2009 is a vivid reminder that 
     security threats transcend national boundaries and can only 
     be properly addressed through a global strategy based on 
     effective international cooperation.'';
       Whereas the Taipei Flight Information Region, under the 
     jurisdiction of the Republic of China (Taiwan), covers an 
     airspace of 176,000 square nautical miles and provides air 
     traffic control services to over 1,350,000 flights annually 
     along 12 international and 4 domestic air routes;
       Whereas over 174,000 international flights carrying more 
     than 35,000,000 passengers travel to and from Taiwan 
     annually, reflecting its importance as an air transport hub 
     linking Northeast and Southeast Asia;
       Whereas a total of 30 airlines, 23 of which are foreign-
     owned, provide scheduled flights to Taiwan;
       Whereas airports in Taiwan handle more than 1,580,000 
     metric tons of air cargo annually;
       Whereas Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport was ranked in 
     2009 by the Airports Council International as the world's 8th 
     and 18th largest airport by international cargo volume and 
     number of International passengers, respectively;
       Whereas exclusion from the ICAO since 1971 has impeded the 
     efforts of the Government of Taiwan to maintain civil 
     aviation practices that comport with evolving international 
     standards, due to its inability to contact the ICAO for up-
     to-date information on aviation standards and norms, secure 
     amendments to the organization's regulations in a timely 
     manner, obtain sufficient and timely information needed to 
     prepare for the implementation of new systems and procedures 
     set forth by the ICAO, receive technical assistance in 
     implementing new regulations, and participate in technical 
     and academic seminars hosted by the ICAO;
       Whereas, despite these impediments and irrespective of its 
     inability to participate in the ICAO, the Government of 
     Taiwan has made every effort to comply with the operating 
     procedures and guidelines set forth by the organization;
       Whereas, despite this effort, the exclusion of Taiwan from 
     the ICAO has prevented the organization from developing a 
     truly global strategy to address security threats based on 
     effective international cooperation, thereby hindering the 
     fulfillment of its overarching mission to ``meet the needs of 
     the peoples of the world for safe, regular, efficient and 
     economical air transport'';
       Whereas the United States, in the 1994 Taiwan Policy 
     Review, clearly declared its support for the participation of 
     Taiwan in appropriate international organizations, in 
     particular, on September 27, 1994, with the announcement by 
     the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific 
     Affairs that, pursuant to the Review and recognizing Taiwan's 
     important role in transnational issues, the United States 
     ``will support its membership in organizations where 
     statehood is not a prerequisite, and [the United States] will 
     support opportunities for Taiwan's voice to be heard in 
     organizations where its membership is not possible'';
       Whereas section 4(d) of the Taiwan Relations Act (22 U.S.C. 
     3303(d)) declares, ``Nothing in this Act may be construed as 
     a basis for supporting the exclusion or expulsion of Taiwan 
     from continued membership in any international financial 
     institution or any other international organization.''; and
       Whereas ICAO rules and existing practices have allowed for 
     the meaningful participation of noncontracting countries as 
     well as other bodies in its meetings and activities through 
     granting of observer status: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) meaningful participation by the Government of Taiwan as 
     an observer in the meetings and activities of the 
     International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will 
     contribute both to the fulfillment of the ICAO's overarching 
     mission and to the success of a global strategy to address 
     aviation security threats based on effective international 
     cooperation;
       (2) the United States Government should take a leading role 
     in gaining international support for the granting of observer 
     status to Taiwan in the ICAO for the purpose of such 
     participation; and
       (3) the Department of State should provide briefings to or 
     consult with Congress on any efforts conducted by the United 
     States Government in support of Taiwan's progress toward 
     observer status in the ICAO.

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