Safe skies at risk: why ICAO should include Taiwan
Every day, international flights—including those carrying Canadian travellers—cross East Asia’s skies through the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR). Managed by Taiwan, this single airspace is among the busiest in the world, handling more than 1.6 million flights and some 64 million passengers in 2024, reaching 89 per cent of the pre-pandemic level, with an outstanding record of safety and professionalism.
That safety is now under growing strain. Since 2022, the People’s Republic of China has carried out at least six large-scale military exercises in and around the Taiwan Strait, repeatedly declaring exclusion zones or conducting live-fire drills without proper advance notice. In the most recent three exercises, warning times shrank from two hours, to two minutes, to none at all. Guidelines from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) call for ample lead time—often up to seven days—to alert civilian pilots of hazards.
Beijing has instead chosen surprise and intimidation. This rising danger made the 42nd ICAO Assembly on Sept. 23 especially critical. As host state of the organization’s Montreal headquarters, Canada has a special responsibility to protect ICAO’s vision of safe skies. Aviation helps connect people and economies, and prevents any nation or community from being cut off from the world. The management of every segment of global airspace deserves participation in that system—Taiwan included.
Taiwan’s air-traffic professionals already meet or exceed ICAO standards. Their expertise and real-time data are indispensable to the safety of every airline crossing East Asia. Yet, despite managing the strategically vital Taipei FIR, Taiwan remains excluded from ICAO because of Beijing’s pressure. The paradox is stark: the authority that actually ensures regional safety is denied a seat, while the violator sits inside the system.
The international community must see this clearly: China’s military drills are not only an assault on Taiwan, but a direct threat to global air travel, international trade, and Canada’s own economic interests in the Indo-Pacific. In the wake of the ICAO Assembly convening, member states—including host country Canada—should affirm that Taiwan’s meaningful participation is essential to safe skies and a sustainable future.
Harry H.J. Tseng
Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada
Ottawa, Ont.
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