Buttigieg calls for Taiwan participation in UN civil aviation body
MONTREAL/WASHINGTON Sept 27 (Reuters) - U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called on Tuesday for greater participation by Taiwan in a U.N. body overseeing civil aviation, drawing criticism from the Chinese government.
"We believe that all of international civil aviation’s important stakeholders -- particularly those who administer critical airspace, like Taiwan -- should have the opportunity to participate meaningfully in ICAO’s work," Buttigieg said at the ICAO assembly held every three years.
A Chinese government representative at the ICAO responded by saying, "The American comments attempted to create two Chinas, one China and one Taiwan. This is contrary to the United Nations charter." (Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Allison Lampert in Montreal; Editing by Leslie Adler)