The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will hold its General Assembly from September 27, but Taiwan has not yet received an invitation to attend.
Foreign minister David Lee discussed the issue on Tuesday. "the next three days are key. If we don’t get it by Friday, that means we won’t get it. That’s pretty much the situation," said Lee.
Taiwan hopes to participate in the upcoming assembly as Taipei’s flight information region is one of the busiest in the region. Last year, it monitored over 1.5 million flights and 53 million travelers. The government believes it is irresponsible for Taiwan to be omitted from affairs related to international aviation.
The ICAO holds its General Assembly once every three years. Taiwan attended the last meeting in 2013 as an observer. However, Beijing has been distant towards the new government of President Tsai Ing-wen in Taiwan. This appears to be affecting Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, which is greatly dependent on goodwill from China.