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

Whereas the Convention on International Civil Aviation, signed in Chicago, Illinois, on December 7, 1944, and entered into force April 4, 1947, approved the establishment of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), stating The aims and objectives of the Organization are to develop the principles and techniques of international air navigation and to foster the planning and development of international air transport so as to . . . meet the needs of the peoples of the world for safe, regular, efficient and economical air transport;

Whereas, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the ICAO convened a high-level Ministerial Conference on Aviation Security that endorsed a global strategy for strengthening aviation security worldwide and issued a public declaration that a uniform approach in a global system is essential to ensure aviation security throughout the world and that deficiencies in any part of the system constitute a threat to the entire global system, and that there should be a commitment to foster international cooperation in the field of aviation security and harmonize the implementation of security measures;

Whereas, the 37th ICAO Assembly in October 2010 adopted a Declaration on Aviation Security largely in response to the attempted sabotage of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on December 25, 2009, which established new criminal penalties for the use of civil aircraft as a weapon, the use of dangerous materials to attack aircraft or other targets on the ground, and the unlawful transport of biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons and related materials, along with extradition arrangements that facilitate cooperation among nations in apprehending and prosecuting those who have undertaken these and other criminal acts;

Whereas, on October 8, 2010, the Department of State praised the 37th ICAO Assembly on its adoption of the Declaration on Aviation Security, but noted that because every airport offers a potential entry point into this global system, every nation faces the threat from gaps in aviation security throughout the world—and all nations must share the responsibility for securing that system;

Whereas the Taipei Flight Information Region, under the jurisdiction of Taiwan, ROC, covers an airspace of 176,000 square nautical miles and provides air traffic control services to over 1,350,000 flights annually, with the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport recognized as the 8th and 18th largest airport by international cargo volume and number of international passengers, respectively;

Whereas exclusion from the ICAO since 1971 has impeded the efforts of the Government of Taiwan to maintain civil aviation practices that comport with evolving international standards, due to its inability to contact the ICAO for up-to-date information on aviation standards and norms, secure amendments to the organization's regulations in a timely manner, obtain sufficient and timely information needed to prepare for the implementation of new systems and procedures set forth by the ICAO, receive technical assistance in implementing new regulations, and participate in technical and academic seminars hosted by the ICAO;

Whereas the United States, in the 1994 Taiwan Policy Review, clearly declared its support for the participation of Taiwan in appropriate international organizations, in particular, on September 27, 1994, with the announcement by the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs that, pursuant to the Review and recognizing Taiwan's important role in transnational issues, the United States will support its membership in organizations where statehood is not a prerequisite, and [the United States] will support opportunities for Taiwan's voice to be heard in organizations where its membership is not possible; and

Whereas ICAO rules and existing practices have allowed for the meaningful participation of noncontracting countries as well as other bodies in its meetings and activities through granting of observer status: Now, therefore, be it