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One of the top stories from this past week was that International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) failed to invite Taiwan to attend this year’s meeting. That’s despite the fact that the organization invited Taiwan previously to participate as an observer. It is almost impossible for Taiwan to participate in international organizations like this because of opposition from China which sees Taiwan as part of its territory.
President Tsai Ing-wen spoke out against the snub from ICAO, saying that aviation safety is a human right which should not be denied or influenced by political factors. She made the comments on Friday while meeting a visiting delegation from the European Parliament.
Tsai said Taiwan has maintained flight safety for 42 years with information that is “late, indirect and patchy” and Taiwan should be included in ICAO activities.
Tsai said the people of Taiwan have been working hard to take part in international organizations and activities in a dignified and fair manner.
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Also this past week, the Taiwanese delegation chosen to attend this year’s ICAO forum will set off for Montreal as planned on Sunday. That’s despite the fact that Taiwan has not been invited to attend this year’s forum.
The transportation ministry says that the delegation will instead hold a separate event where they will thank friendly nations and Taiwan’s diplomatic allies for their support.
The ICAO’s World Aviation Forum will open in Montreal on Tuesday. The forum is held once every three years. Taiwan attended the last forum as an observer. However, the foreign ministry confirmed on Friday that Taiwan has not been invited to attend this year’s forum.
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And finally, Taiwan saw a major scientific milestone this past week when the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center unveiled Taiwan Photon Source (TPS), which President Tsai Ing-wen called the pride of Taiwan.
According to the center, TPS will offer one of the world's brightest synchrotron x-ray sources. It will help advance scientific research in cutting-edge experimental facilities.
President Tsai called the unveiling “an exciting moment for Taiwan” because it will enable scientists to better control natural phenomena that were unseen and unmeasured in the past. She said TPS is the biggest inter-disciplinary, high-end research facility ever to be completely designed and built by Taiwan. It will play a major role in R&D in the areas of green technology, biomedicine and intelligent machinery.