KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — Taiwan has appealed for international support in its bid to be allowed to participate in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

In a press statement, Lin Chia-lung, Taiwan’s Minister of Transportation and Communications said the island should not be left out of the United Nations specialised agency that fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure the safe and orderly growth of international civil aviation around the world.

He said Taiwan is located in a key position in the Asia-Pacific region and the Taipei Flight Information Region (Taipei FIR) manages large air traffic volumes in East Asia and provided services to over 1.75 million controlled flights in 2018, a 5.8 per cent increase over 2017.

Lin said Taiwan urgently needed to establish direct communication channels with ICAO to obtain the most up-to-date rules and regulations, so that safe air transport of passengers and cargo could be ensured.

Taiwan is not a member of ICAO because it lost its United Nations seat to the People’s Republic of China that sees self-ruled Taiwan as part of its own territory, and not a state eligible to join UN agencies.