VOA标准英语2008年-China-Taiwan Relationship Showing Signs of Impr

By Stephanie Ho
Beijing
12 June 2008

Representatives from often bitter rivals China and Taiwan are meeting in Beijing for the first formal talks in nearly a decade. Stephanie Ho reports from Beijing.

Following years of hostility¹, relations between Taiwan and China appear to be rapidly improving.
　

Taiwan delegates (L, table)and their Chinese counterparts (R, table) during talks at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, 12 Jun 2008

Representatives from both sides began meeting, Thursday, to discuss concrete issues - regular, direct cross-Straits flights and increasing the number of mainland Chinese tourists who go to Taiwan.

Other issues include additional Taiwanese help for Chinese earthquake relief efforts and setting up permanent offices in each other's territory to coordinate² continuing contacts.

The two sides are not expected to discuss bigger political issues or China's vow³ to use force, if necessary, to prevent the island from declaring independence.

The head of Taiwan's quasi-governmental Straits Exchange Foundation, Chiang Pin-Kung, says the fact that the two sides are even meeting, at all, is significant.

Chiang says progress has been made in recent discussions and interaction that have helped established trust between his organization and its mainland counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait.

He says the two associations will serve as the bridge, in terms of negotiation⁴, communication and other issues, to establish long-term peace and stability in the cross-Strait relationship.

The head of the Chinese association, Chen Yunlin, says China is especially grateful to Taiwan for offering aid following a devastating⁵ earthquake in southwestern China.

Chen expressed whole hearted thanks to Taiwanese compatriots for their caring about and help for victims of the Wenchuan earthquake.

China's official Xinhua News Agency says Chen has accepted an invitation to visit Taiwan, although the report mentions no specific dates.

Friday, the two sides are expected to announce agreements on direct, regular charter flights and tourism.

The Nationalist government fled to Taiwan after losing a civil war to the Chinese Communists in 1949. China still considers the island part of Chinese territory.

Cross-Strait relations were strained under the eight-year administration of Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian, who Beijing saw as pro-independence.

In March Taiwanese elections, voters chose Ma Ying-jeou as leader. This choice returned the Nationalists to power on Taiwan and marked the beginning of improved cross-Strait relations.

1 hostility   

n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争

参考例句：

• There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
• His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。

2 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。

3 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

4 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

5 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。