Support for Taiwan by U.S. lawmakers and respected media outlets following the decision of Montreal-headquartered International Civil Aviation Organization to block Twitter users for raising questions about the country’s participation in the U.N. specialized agency is sincerely appreciated, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jan. 28.
ICAO’s move is believed to have been triggered by a tweet spotlighting Taiwan’s exclusion from the organization and heightened health risks arising from the new coronavirus in China from the account of an individual associated with Washington-based think tank Project 2049 Institute. Subsequent tweets by other users challenging ICAO’s Twitter policy are said to have also led to account blocks.
High-profile backers of Taiwan on Twitter include the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Rep. Mike Gallagher and Sen. Marco Rubio. The committee tweeted that “silencing voices that oppose ICAO’s exclusion of Taiwan goes against their stated principles of fairness, inclusion, and transparency,” while the U.S. lawmakers
criticized China for pressuring international organizations.
The MOFA described ICAO’s actions as showing a lack of impartiality, professionalism and ignorance of Article 19 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on freedom of opinion and expression. Taiwan will keep working with like-minded partners to urge the organization to right this wrong and end its suppression of fair and open debate, the ministry added.
According to the MOFA, the global spread of the new coronavirus underscores the need for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in ICAO and the World Health Organization. Only through borderless cooperation can aviation safety and global health be safeguarded, the ministry added.
As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan is ready, willing and able to take part in the activities, mechanisms and meetings of U.N. specialized agencies, as well as help achieve the goals and objectives of these organizations for the benefit of all, the MOFA said. (YCH-E)
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