U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce reiterated Oct. 25 his call for Taiwan to be granted observer status in Interpol, stating “it’s time Taiwan be allowed” to join the organization.
The U.S. representative made the comments in a statement issued ahead of Interpol’s 85th General Assembly to be held Nov. 7-10 in Bali, Indonesia. In the release, he wrote that the “continued exclusion of Taiwan—a strong friend and critical partner of the United States—from this important organization is troubling.”
According to Royce, “global security is needlessly put at risk” because Taiwan is unable to promptly share and receive the latest information about international crime. “Everyone’s security would be improved by Taiwan’s participation in Interpol.”
The nation’s bid to join Interpol has received strong backing from U.S. lawmakers. A bill directing the U.S. president to develop a strategy to assist Taiwan in obtaining observer status, HR 1853, was proposed by Rep. Matt Salmon and approved without dissent in November 2015 by the U.S. House of Representatives.
In December the same year, Sen. Cory Gardner introduced a bill, S 2426, aimed at promoting Taiwan’s participation in Interpol. The legislation was passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate March 8 and signed into law March 18 by U.S. President Barack Obama.
S 2426 directs the U.S. secretary of state to develop a strategy within 90 days of its enactment assisting Taiwan to obtain Interpol observer status and take part in associated activities; instruct Interpol Washington to request such status for Taiwan; and urge Interpol members to back Taiwan’s bid and participation. According to the text of S 2426, Taiwan’s exclusion from Interpol denies it access to the organization’s global police communication systems, which hinders the seamless flow of information between international police agencies and effectiveness of coordinated cross-border actions.
Based in the French city of Lyon, Interpol is the world’s largest international police organization with 190 member countries. It enables borderless police cooperation while battling such crimes as corruption, human trafficking, intellectual property rights violations and money laundering. (KWS-E)
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