Expressing the sense of Congress that Taiwan should be accorded observer status in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 266) expressing the sense of Congress that Taiwan should be accorded observer status in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 266, expressing the sense of Congress that Taiwan should be accorded observer status in the International Civil Aviation Organization, the ICAO.

As cochairman of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, I have seen firsthand the amazing progress that Taiwan has made in its economic and political development. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Taiwan's economy grew by more than an amazing 10 percent per year and is now the United States' ninth-largest overall trading partner, with two-way trade in 2008 valued at $61.6 billion. Taiwan also is the sixth-largest destination for U.S. agricultural exports, about $2.5 billion annually.

Meanwhile, Taiwan has developed one of the strongest democracies in the region, having had several peaceful, democratic transfers of power. I have met their current President, President Ma Ying-jeou, who is a well-spoken, Western-educated leader who has worked very hard to reduce tensions between Taiwan and China and concluded an Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement with the PRC Government recently.

All the while, however, Taiwan has been shut out of participating in international organizations like the International Civil Aviation Organization. Founded in 1947, ICAO's goal is to ``meet the needs of the peoples of the world for safe, regular, efficient, and economical air transport.'' These goals can only be reached through a cooperative approach that brings together the world's leading economies to share best practices and information. We need look no further than this past Christmas for a reminder of how our aviation security transcends national boundaries and can only be addressed through a cooperative, international strategy.

Mr. Speaker, Taiwan deserves to be brought into the ICAO as on observer.

Over 174,000 international flights travel to and from Taiwan each year, carrying more than 35 million passengers. Their air traffic controllers now provide service to over 1.3 million flights each year. By cargo volume, Taiwan has the eighth-largest airport in the world.

Yet Taiwan has been excluded from ICAO since 1971, which has impeded Taiwan's efforts to maintain civil aviation practices that keep up with rapidly evolving international standards. It is unable to even contact ICAO for up-to-date information on aviation standards and norms, nor can it receive ICAO's technical assistance in implementing new regulations or participate in ICAO technical and academic seminars.

Despite these impediments, Taiwan has made every effort to comply with ICAO's standards, but their continued exclusion from such an important organization is nothing short of absurd. It not only hurts Taiwan, it puts us and the entire world at risk. With such a heavy volume of flights, Taiwan's exclusion has prevented ICAO from developing a truly global strategy to address security threats based on effective international cooperation. And regardless of one's position on the One-China Policy, ICAO's own rules allow for ``noncontracting countries'' to participate through observer status.

With this resolution today, we call upon the world community to grant Taiwan observer status at the ICAO, not only to help Taiwan but to ensure ICAO can fulfill its own stated mission and address threats to aviation security. We call on the U.S. government to take a leading role at ICAO to assist Taiwan in gaining this status and look forward to working with our administration officials to track the development of these efforts.

Mr. Speaker, enough is truly enough. It is time for the international community to recognize Taiwan as one of the world's leading economies, democracies, and responsible actors. It is a beacon of hope and liberty in a very difficult region, and we should be embracing, not excluding, these peace-loving people at every opportunity.

I hope ICAO will be only the beginning of Taiwan's reentry into the world community, to ICAO, to the World Health Organization, and other international organizations as appropriate.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from the great State of Oregon, Congressman Wu.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise as a proud cosponsor of this important resolution, which calls upon the International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, to accord observer status to Taiwan.

Can there be any doubt that Taiwan, which provides air traffic control services for well over 1.3 million flights per year, needs to be a part of the international organization responsible for air safety and security? Is this especially not true in a post-September 11 world where security in the skies is of paramount importance to not only the American people but to all across the globe?

The provincial and shortsighted manipulations of Beijing's leaders who seek to deny Taiwan's international space cannot stand in the way of airport safety and security. It is time to bring to an end Beijing's petty parlor games of one-upmanship and humiliating slights in the running of international organizations.

If the alleged thaw in cross-Strait relations is to have any true significance, it must and should begin in the meeting rooms of ICAO and other international organizations. Those passengers, including our American citizens, who travel on any one of the almost 200,000 international flights headed to and from Taiwan every year expect and deserve every protection they can be afforded.

The time to let Taiwan begin to have constructive and meaningful participation in ICAO is long overdue. The United States State Department, as this resolution suggests, must assume a leading role to ensure that this happens as quickly as possible. The security in the skies of the people of Taiwan, of the people of the United States, and the citizens of the world demand no less.

So I strongly, Mr. Speaker, and enthusiastically urge my colleagues to support this important resolution.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I am so pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia, Dr. Gingrey, an esteemed member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman.

I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton), the ranking member on the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia.

(Mr. BURTON of Indiana asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

I am very honored, Mr. Speaker, to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart), my colleague, the ranking member on the Rules Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process and cochair of the Taiwan Caucus.

I thank all the speakers who spoke on this important resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, as one of the cochairs of the bipartisan Congressional Taiwan Caucus, I rise in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 266, and I particularly want to commend one of my fellow cochairs, Ms. Shelley Berkley of Nevada, for her leadership on this issue. Additionally, Mr. Speaker, I would like

to applaud the leadership of other cochairs, Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart of Florida and Mr. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, for their work in bringing this resolution to the floor, and I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for yielding me time.

Since its inception in 1947, the International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, has been a great resource for the international community to develop and to foster the most efficient and the safest means of airline travel across the world. In the aftermath of the horrific terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, it was the ICAO that convened a conference to endorse a uniform, international strategy to ensure aviation safety throughout the entire world.

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, our friends in Taiwan have been excluded from participation in the ICAO since 1971. Not only has that diminished Taiwan's ability to stay at the cutting edge of aviation, it has also presented obstacles to the international community as a whole, because ICAO cannot completely fulfill its mission to meet the needs of all people in efficient and safe air travel.

Taiwan has a very large footprint within commercial aviation that warrants its inclusion within ICAO. The Taipei Flight Information Region, as has been mentioned by my colleagues, covers an airspace of 176,000 square nautical miles. It provides air traffic control services to over 1.3 million flights annually. Additionally, there are over 174,000 international flights carrying more than 35 million passengers that fly in and out of Taiwan each and every year.

With this high volume of air traffic, Taiwan certainly deserves to have a seat at the table of ICAO at least, Mr. Speaker, as an observer.

This is precisely what this concurrent resolution seeks to accomplish. Providing Taiwan with meaningful participation at ICAO benefits both the Taiwanese and the international community as a whole.

Due to our longstanding relationship and our respect for our friends in Taiwan, I want to urge all of my colleagues to support House Concurrent Resolution 266.

You know, I don't want to be redundant; I just want to point out a couple of things that have been said because I think everybody who is interested in air safety needs to understand what the ramifications of this legislation are, and I hope my colleagues will pay attention, those who aren't here on floor.

Taiwan's regional information center covers airspace of 176,000 square nautical miles and it provides air traffic control services to over 1.35 million flights a year. Now, when you are talking about air safety, and you are talking about that region--and many of us in this body have gone to that part of the world--you have to realize how important Taiwan's inclusion is because we are flying through that airspace and they should have observer status.

In addition to that, as has been stated, it's the eighth largest airport of international cargo volume in the entire world--so there are a lot of flights regarding cargo that are flying out of there on a regular basis--and it's the 18th largest airport as far as the number of passengers are concerned.

The safety of millions and millions of people that fly in and out of that entire region are at stake. In fact, they estimate as many as 10 million people's lives are at stake when they go through that area. So it seems to me logical and reasonable that Taiwan have observer status. It's important that everybody is coordinating, and Taiwan is an extremely important asset to that region.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I want to thank the sponsors, Mr. Diaz-Balart and Ms. Berkley, for sponsoring this bill. I think it's extremely important.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 266.

For too long, Taiwan has been left out of international organizations at the demand of China. Taiwan was denied access to the World Health Organization, unable to participate as even an observer for over forty years. Thankfully, that changed last year as a Taiwanese delegation was able to observe meetings in Geneva. Infectious disease knows no borders.

Congress had long pressed for this action through bills and resolutions, so it is fitting that we once again take to the floor to press for Taiwan's inclusion in the International Civil Aviation Organization. Despite being home to the world's 18th busiest airport, Taiwan has been kept out of an organization that aims to keep passengers safe.

Indeed, as this resolution finds, Taiwan's exclusion from the ICAO has impeded Taiwan's government from keeping up to date with aviation standards, and prevented the implementation of new systems and procedures. The 35 million passengers that travel to and from Taiwan each year are done a great disservice by Taiwan's exclusion.

Mr. Speaker, in merely decades, Taiwan has gone from poverty to prosperity and autocracy to democracy. We have a strong relationship that stretches back over half a century. Today, our relations remain strong. Passage of this resolution will only serve to strengthen this relationship, and I urge my colleagues to support it.