Abstract

Language or diplomatic language is the carrier of the diplomacy. The employment of the language skills, to some extent, can determine one country’s achievements or failures in the diplomatic activities. Linguistic vagueness, as a unique language phenomenon, is acting as an even more important role in the world diplomacy.

Almost half century after the normalization of the Sino-US relations, the Taiwan issue is still the deciding element of the progress of the Sino-US relations. Thus, the wordings and ways of expressions of the communiqués and declarations which are related with the Taiwan Issue are of the great importance of the study in Sino-US relations.

This thesis employs the theory of the vague language as the theoretical foundation. It adopts case studies to mainly focus on several typical vague expressions which appeared in some important statements related with the Taiwan Issue such as the Sino-US Joint Communiqués, the so called “Taiwan Relations Act” and other related diplomatic addresses, and to discuss its influences on the Sino-US diplomatic relations. The result of this thesis will supplement the diplomatic translation and provides insights for our understandings of the Taiwan issue in the Sino-US relations.

Key words: vagueness, diplomatic language, Sino-US relations, Taiwan issue, Sino-US Joint Communiqués