China, Taiwan sign agreements on meteorological, seismic cooperation

Negotiators from China and Taiwan Thursday signed two agreements on meteorological and seismic cooperation, promising information exchanges and joint monitors between the two sides that are both seismically active and prone to typhoons.

Chen Deming, president of the China-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), and Lin Join-sane, chairman of the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), signed the pacts in Taiwan's Taipei City, Xinhua reported.

The ARATS-SEF talks Thursday, the tenth round since 2008, aimed to facilitate cooperation in order to raise early warning capacity and protect people's lives and properties in the face of meteorological disasters and earthquakes.

The meteorological pact agrees to cooperate in meteorological operations and technology, including information sharing, research and monitoring typhoons, rainstorms and other weather phenomena.

In the seismic pact, the two sides agreed on earthquake monitoring and technology, publicity and education on disaster prevention, and personnel exchanges.

In a speech Thursday morning, Chen said China and Taiwan should establish a close cooperation mechanism, as both sides are prone to meteorological and seismic disasters.

Taiwan is located in a seismically active zone on the Pacific Ring of Fire, while China also sits on several earthquake belts. Both are also subject to typhoons, with last year's Usagi forcing evacuations in Taiwan and leaving 30 people dead in Guangdong Province on the mainland.

"To our delight, the two sides' meteorological and seismic authorities, having taken into mind the people's well-being and the safety of lives and property, have reached consensus on the contents of the agreement with great efficiency," Chen said.

Zheng Lizhong, ARATS executive vice-president, also attributed the smooth negotiation to the active non-governmental cooperation in this field, which has accumulated much experience in the past 30 years.

The agenda of the next round of talks was also released.

The two sides have agreed to push forward two agreements on commodity trade and trade dispute settlements and work to make sure they are signed before the end of the year, according to Zheng.

The next round of talks will also include avoidance of double taxation, setting up of cross-Taiwan Strait offices by the ARATS and SEF, cooperation in civil aviation and aircraft airworthiness, and environmental protection.