SECTION 1. CONCERNING THE PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN 
IN THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION OR-
GANIZATION. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(1) Safe, secure, and economical international 
air navigation and transport is important to every 
citizen of the world, and safe skies are ensured 
through uniform aviation standards, harmonization 
of security protocols, and expeditious dissemination 
of information regarding new regulations and other 
relevant matters. 
(2) Direct and unobstructed participation in 
international civil aviation forums and programs is 
beneficial for all nations and their civil aviation au-
thorities. Civil aviation is vital to all due to the 
international transit and commerce it makes pos-
sible, but must also be closely regulated due to the 
possible use of aircraft as weapons of mass destruc-
tion or to transport biological, chemical, and nuclear 
weapons or other dangerous materials. 
(3) The Convention on International Civil Avia-
tion, signed in Chicago, Illinois, on December 7, 
1944, and entered into force April 4, 1947, estab-
lished the International Civil Aviation Organization 
(ICAO), stating ‘‘The aims and objectives of the Or-
ganization are to develop the principles and tech-
niques 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 economi-
cal air transport.’’. 
(4) The terrorist attacks of September 11, 
2001, demonstrated that the global civil aviation 
network is subject to vulnerabilities that can be ex-
ploited in one country to harm another. The ability 
of civil aviation authorities to coordinate, preempt 
and act swiftly and in unison is an essential element 
of crisis prevention and response. 
(5) Following the terrorist attacks of September 
11, 2001, the ICAO convened a high-level Ministe-
rial 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 co-
operation in the field of aviation security and har-
monize the implementation of security measures’’.
(6) The Taipei Flight Information Region, 
under the jurisdiction of Taiwan, covers 180,000 
square nautical miles of airspace and provides air 
traffic control services to over 1.2 million flights an-
nually, with the Taiwan Taoyuan International Air-
port recognized as the 10th and 19th largest airport 
by international cargo volume and number of inter-
national passengers, respectively in 2011. 
(7) Despite the established international con-
sensus regarding a uniform approach to aviation se-
curity that fosters international cooperation, exclu-
sion from the ICAO since 1971 has impeded the ef-
forts 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 stand-
ards and norms, secure amendments to the organi-
zation’s regulations in a timely manner, obtain suffi-
cient 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.
(8) On October 8, 2010, the Department of 
State praised the 37th ICAO Assembly on its adop-
tion of a Declaration on Aviation Security, but noted 
that ‘‘because every airport offers a potential entry 
point into this global system, every nation faces the 
threat from gaps in aviation security throughout the 
world—and all nations must share the responsibility 
for securing that system’’. 
(9) On October 2, 2012, Taiwan became the 
37th participant to join the United States Visa 
Waiver program, which is expected to stimulate 
tourism and commerce that will rely increasingly on 
international commercial aviation. 
(10) The Government of Taiwan’s exclusion 
from the ICAO constitutes a serious gap in global 
standards that should be addressed at the earliest 
opportunity in advance of the 38th ICAO Assembly 
in September 2013. 
(11) The Federal Aviation Administration and 
its counterpart agencies in Taiwan have enjoyed 
close collaboration on a wide range of issues related 
to innovation and technology, civil engineering, safe-
ty and security, and navigation.
(12) The ICAO has allowed a wide range of ob-
servers to participate in the activities of the organi-
zation. 
(13) The United States, in the 1994 Taiwan 
Policy Review, declared its intention to support Tai-
wan’s participation in appropriate international or-
ganizations and has consistently reiterated that sup-
port. 
(14) Senate Concurrent Resolution 17, agreed 
to on September 11, 2012, affirmed the sense of 
Congress that— 
(A) meaningful participation by the Gov-
ernment of Taiwan as an observer in the meet-
ings and activities of the ICAO will contribute 
both to the fulfillment of the ICAO’s over-
arching mission and to the success of a global 
strategy to address aviation security threats 
based on effective international cooperation; 
and 
(B) the United States Government should 
take a leading role in garnering international 
support for the granting of observer status to 
Taiwan in the ICAO. 
(15) Following the enactment of Public Law 
108–235, a law authorizing the Secretary of State to
initiate and implement a plan to endorse and obtain 
observer status for Taiwan at the annual summit of 
the World Health Assembly and subsequent advo-
cacy by the United States, Taiwan was granted ob-
server status to the World Health Assembly for four 
consecutive years since 2009. Both prior to and in 
its capacity as an observer, Taiwan has contributed 
significantly to the international community’s collec-
tive efforts in pandemic control, monitoring, early 
warning, and other related matters. 
(16) ICAO rules and existing practices allow for 
the meaningful participation of non-contracting 
countries as well as other bodies in its meetings and 
activities through granting of observer status. 
(b) TAIWAN’S PARTICIPATION AT ICAO.—The Sec-
retary of State shall— 
(1) develop a strategy to obtain observer status 
for Taiwan at the triennial ICAO Assembly—next 
held in September 2013 in Montreal, Canada—and 
other related meetings, activities, and mechanisms 
thereafter; and 
(2) instruct the United States Mission to the 
ICAO to officially request observer status for Tai-
wan at the triennial ICAO Assembly and other re-
lated meetings, activities, and mechanisms thereafter