IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 266 
Expressing the sense of Congress that Taiwan should be accorded observer 
status in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 21, 2010 
Ms. BERKLEY (for herself, Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida, Mr. 
CONNOLLY of Virginia, and Mr. GINGREY of Georgia) submitted the fol-
lowing concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress that Taiwan should be 
accorded observer status in the International Civil Avia-
tion Organization (ICAO). 
Whereas the Convention on International Civil Aviation, 
signed in Chicago, Illinois, on December 7, 1944, and en-
tered into force April 4, 1947, approved the establish-
ment of the International Civil Aviation Organization 
(ICAO), stating ‘‘The aims and objectives of the Organi-
zation 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’’; 
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•HCON 266 IH 
Whereas following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 
2001, the ICAO convened a High-level Ministerial Con-
ference on Aviation Security that endorsed a global strat-
egy 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 sys-
tem’’, 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 Air-
lines Flight 253 on 25 December [2009] is a vivid re-
minder that security threats transcend national bound-
aries and can only be properly addressed through a global 
strategy based on effective international cooperation.’’; 
Whereas the Taipei Flight Information Region, under the ju-
risdiction 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 annu-
ally 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; 
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•HCON 266 IH 
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 re-
spectively; 
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 inter-
national 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 implementa-
tion 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 in-
ability to participate in the ICAO, the Government of 
Taiwan has made every effort to comply with the oper-
ating procedures and guidelines set forth by the organiza-
tion; 
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 Re-
view, clearly declared its support for the participation of 
Taiwan in appropriate international organizations, in 
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•HCON 266 IH 
particular, on September 27, 1994, with the announce-
ment by the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian 
and Pacific Affairs that, pursuant to the Review and rec-
ognizing Taiwan’s important role in transnational issues, 
the United States ‘‘will support its membership in organi-
zations 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 con-
strued as a basis for supporting the exclusion or expul-
sion of Taiwan from continued membership in any inter-
national 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 House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) meaningful participation by the Government 
of Taiwan as an observer in the meetings and activi-
ties 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; 
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•HCON 266 IH 
(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 United States Department of State 
should provide briefings to or consult with Congress 
on any efforts conducted by the United States Gov-
ernment in support of Taiwan’s progress toward ob-
server status in the ICAO. 
Æ 
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