海角大神

China聽is giving聽Taiwan a rare chance to join a United Nations event聽this week, showing the strength of a new relationship that was once considered impossible due to decades of hostilities between the two political and military rivals.

China, backed by聽about聽170 diplomatic allies,聽normally bars Taiwan from any role in international agencies that require statehood of its members. Although聽China has聽regarded聽Taiwan as part of its territory since a civil war in the 1940s, it is聽softening its tone by聽allowing聽Taiwan聽special guest status聽at聽a UN aviation agency鈥檚 general assembly聽in Montreal.

The International Civil Aviation Organization鈥檚 special pass to Taiwan聽follows a聽positive cue聽last year聽from聽former聽Chinese president Hu Jintao聽during an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting,聽Taiwan鈥檚聽foreign ministry says.聽

Taiwan wants a bigger UN role as it faces pressure at home to assert itself more internationally following the 1971 loss of its UN seat when the global body recognized China. Since 2009, it has pushed China聽and聽other powerful countries to let it participate in the aviation agency as a way of keeping up on air safety and security issues.聽

鈥淭his was not a very easy relaxation of Beijing鈥檚 blockade,鈥� says Alexander Huang,聽a professor of聽strategic studies at Tamkang University in Taiwan. 鈥淭his is long awaited goodwill from China. We pushed very hard both through bilateral channels and third parties.鈥�

The nod from Mr. Hu followed nearly five years of talks on trade and investment that have built an unprecedented trust between China and Taiwan. China had threatened to use force against the island just 100 miles away聽as recently as聽2005聽and there was virtually no diplomacy聽until聽Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou took office in 2008.

That year Mr. Ma聽shelved political issues聽to negotiate deals with China on trade and transit, a way to shore up his island鈥檚 economy. China embraced the move as a possible step toward reunification.

China may have approved the civil aviation agency鈥檚聽move聽in order聽to boost the image of Taiwan鈥檚 president, who faces approval ratings of less than 20聽percent聽in part because of perceived weakness on foreign policy, political analysts in Taipei say. Ma鈥檚聽Nationalist Party is seen as friendlier toward Beijing than the chief opposition, which angered China before 2008 with campaigns聽to return Taiwan to聽the聽a聽full United Nations聽member.

China also allowed Taiwan to observe the World Health Assembly in 2009, its only other role in a UN-level organization since the 1970s.

Taiwan will attend the UN aviation agency鈥檚 assembly under the name Chinese Taipei, implying a relation to China and will not be allowed to vote.聽

But Tuesday鈥檚 guest pass for the aviation agency, or ICAO, just gets Taiwan off the ground聽in its goal of greater UN participation, the transport ministry in Taipei says.

鈥淚n the future, Taiwan will continue to strive to participate in related聽ICAO聽meetings, mechanisms, and activities, so as to advance its relations with the regional and global civil aviation communities,鈥� the ministry聽said聽in a Sept. 14 statement.聽鈥淭aiwan鈥檚聽attendance at the聽assembly marks an important step forward in its bid for meaningful participation in ICAO.鈥�