U.S. lawmakers call for Taiwan's participation in ICAO assembly

Washington, Aug. 21 (CNA) Four members of the U.S. Congress on Thursday urged the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to invite Taiwan to participate as a guest in its upcoming 42nd assembly in September.

In a letter addressed to Juan Carlos Salazar, ICAO secretary-general, the lawmakers also called on the aviation organization to "clarify its opposition" against China's unilateral move to fully open a third extension of the M503 flight route in the Taiwan Strait.

Such concerns were raised in the letter by Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn, Republican Representative John Moolenaar, who heads the House Select Committee on China, Democratic Senator Gary Peters, and Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi.

The M503 route, unilaterally declared by China in 2015, is located in the Shanghai Flight Information Region but is very close to the Taipei Flight Information Region, raising concerns about flight safety and Taiwan's sovereignty.

In February 2024, China moved the M503 route eastwards and closer to the median line of the Taiwan Strait, despite protests from Taiwan.

In July 2025, Beijing unilaterally announced that it would also open the northwest-to-southeast W121 route connecting Dongshan in Zhejiang province to the north-south M503 flight route.

"This action places civilian aircraft dangerously close to Taiwan-administered airspace and creates potential conflict points with east-west routes operated under the Taipei Flight Information Region, which handles over 1.85 million flights annually," the lawmakers said.

The U.S. lawmakers argued that such unilateral changes disregard international aviation procedures and ICAO's own standards, which emphasize the importance of coordination and risk mitigation in shared airspace.

In their letter, the lawmakers said the issue was especially troubling because Taiwan continues to be barred from meaningful participation in ICAO despite its critical role in global aviation.

Citing Taiwan as the world's 11th-largest aviation market and a key transit hub in East Asia, they argued that its "absence from ICAO meetings and decision-making undermines global aviation safety."

"As an organization tasked with ensuring the safety, security, and efficiency of international civil aviation, ICAO must not remain silent," they said, calling on ICAO to publicly state that it does not support unilateral changes to international flight routes that impact regional safety.

"Additionally, we urge you to include Taiwan in the upcoming 42nd ICAO Assembly as a guest and technical participant," they added.

The event is scheduled to be held at ICAO headquarters in Montreal, Canada, from Sept. 23 to Oct. 3.