Public Statements on the Cross-Strait Collaboration

Agreements on Meteorology and Seismic Monitoring

between ARATS and SEF

In consideration that it is highly necessary for a corporate effort in securing lives

and properties of both sides against natural disasters, the issue of Cross-Strait
cooperation on seismic monitoring has been highlighted in the Eighth
Chiang-Chen Talks in August 2012 between the Association for Relations Across
the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) of Mainland China and the Straits Exchange
Foundation (SEF) of Taiwan. A further step was achieved in the Ninth Round
High-Level Talks in June 2013, with incorporating the proposed Cross-Strait
collaboration in meteorology and seismic monitoring into negotiations over the
Tenth Round Talk. With the assistance of the ARATS and the SEF and through
close liaison during 2013, the two sides eventually have reached an agreement on
meteorological and seismic monitoring partnerships and been scheduled to
complete the signing on February 27, 2014.
The agreement marks an open, ground-breaking and productive working
relationship between the two National Meteorological Services; as Mainland
China and Taiwan are close neighboring and prone to severe impacts of heavy
rain, typhoon, and other hazardous weather events, furthermore, complementary
strengths oftentimes appear in weather monitoring and forecasting operations of
this region, such partnership will therefore enhance experience-sharing and
knowledge-exchange on scientific and technological development, and effectively
promote monitoring and early warning capabilities of extreme weather events as
well as surrounding massive earthquakes, to better prepare against and respond
to potential hazards.

The dominant atmospheric circulations and the resulting weather systems for
Mainland China and Taiwan are the same ones all over the year, with only
difference of upstream/downstream sectionin summer, Taiwan is situated over
an upstream location of subtropical-high and typhoons, which are originated from
the ocean (in south); while in wintertime, cold surges and frontal systems moving
from the continent (north) bring us as a downstream area in contrast to the
Mainland over the weather system. And in case a massive earthquake nearby,
people of both sides can be influenced immediately and experience threat from
the shaking.
On the basis of the Cross-Strait meteorological and seismic monitoring
cooperative agreements, weather information and real-time seismic data will be
more accurately and more promptly transmitted between the two sides upon
occurrence of hazardous weather systems and extensive earthquake events to
facilitate the timeliness and accuracy in operational requirement of both sides.
In addition, periodic exchanges and distributions of seismic monitoring-related
popular science materials will be conducted to promote disaster mitigation
outreach efforts in both sides.