中国呼吁梵蒂冈采取措施改善关系
中国呼吁罗马天主教会推动天主教适应中国社会，改善对华关系。
新华社报道，中国国家宗教事务局局长王作安周二表示，希望梵蒂冈能够“为实现改善（教廷与中国的）关系创造有利条件”。
王作安的讲话是在北京举行的一次中国官方天主教会会议上发表的。
1951年，中国共产党夺取中国政权两年之后，切断了与罗马教廷的关系 – 罗马教廷是天主教会的最高管理机构。梵蒂冈与台湾保持官方关系。
自断交以来，中国坚持认为共产党控制下的中国天主教爱国会有权任命中国主教。梵蒂冈认为这项权利只属于教宗。这个争端是中国和梵蒂冈没有重新建立关系的主要原因之一。
王作安说，中国政府希望梵蒂冈采取更灵活务实的态度，采取行动改善关系。他没有具体说明中国政府希望梵蒂冈采取什么行动。
上个星期，一位被梵蒂冈驱逐但受到中国政府支持的主教参加了新主教的任命仪式，给双方达成协议的前景蒙上了阴影。
梵蒂冈上星期说，他们相信中国的天主教徒“在等待着正面的信号，能让他们信任梵中双方的讨论，并期待能有团结和谐的未来”。
中国共产党长期以来一直担心，反对中共的力量可能通过在其控制之外的宗教和其它公民组织而发展壮大。
China Calls on Vatican to Act on Improving Relations
China has called on the Roman Catholic Church to attempt to improve relations with the East Asian country by adapting Catholicism to Chinese society.
China's head of religious affairs, Wang Zou'an, expressed hope Tuesday that the Vatican will "take actual steps to create beneficial conditions for improving relations" between the church and China, according to the state news agency Xinhua.
Wang's remarks were made at a meeting of China's official Catholic Church in Beijing.
China severed relations with the Holy See -- the Catholic Church's supreme body of government -- in 1951, two years after the Communists assumed power in China. The Vatican has maintained official ties with Taiwan, which China claims as its own.
Since the split, China has maintained that the party-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association has the authority to appoint Chinese bishops. The Holy See insists that right belongs only to the pope. The dispute is one of the primary reasons Sino-Vatican relations have not been re-established.
Wang said the Chinese government hoped the Vatican would adopt a more flexible and pragmatic approach and take action to improve relations. He did not specify what actions the Chinese government would like the Vatican to take.
Prospects of an agreement between the two sides suffered a setback last week when a Chinese government-supported bishop who was excommunicated by the Vatican participated in the ordination of new bishops.
The Vatican said last week it was convinced Catholics in China are "waiting with trepidation for positive signals that would help them have trust" in discussions between the two sides "and hope for a future of unity and harmony."
The ruling Communist Party in China has long been concerned that opposition to the party could be spread by religious and other civic organizations outside its control.
叛逃官员：朝鲜有宏大的核武器计划
最近逃到韩国的一位朝鲜高级官员说，由于美国和韩国都会出现领导人更替，明年是朝鲜发展核项目的最佳时机。
曾经担任朝鲜驻伦敦使馆副大使的太勇浩说：“韩国将举行总统选举，美国要进行政府交接，朝鲜认为2017年是发展核项目的最佳时机。”
太勇浩今年8月叛逃到韩国，是近20年来最高级别的朝鲜叛逃官员。
他星期二在韩国记者会上说，他并不清楚朝鲜核项目的具体状况，不过他说他认为中国不会严厉惩罚朝鲜，因为如果朝鲜解体，朝鲜半岛就会出现一个对美国友好的统一国家。
太勇浩说，即使用大量金钱作为交换，朝鲜领导人金正恩也不会放弃核武器。他还说，金正恩正在加快发展核项目，争取明年年底拥有核武器。
朝鲜今年进行了两次核试验，发射20多个弹道导弹。朝鲜还公开宣称，要发展能够打击美国的核武器。
美国当选总统川普曾表示，他赞成日本和韩国拥有核武器，来遏制朝鲜。
川普将于1月20号宣誓就职，韩国要在明年举行总统选举。太勇浩预测，朝鲜将试图与这两个新政府对话获得拥核国家的地位。
Defector: North Korea has Big Nuclear Plans
Next year will be the most opportune time for North Korea to bolster its nuclear program because of upcoming leadership changes in the United States and South Korea, according to a senior North Korean official who defected recently to the South.
"With South Korea holding presidential elections and the U.S. undergoing an administration transition, the North sees 2017 as the prime time for nuclear development," said Thae Yong-ho, who was North Korea's second highest ranking diplomat in London.
Thae defected to South Korea in August, becoming the most senior North Korean official to defect in almost 20 years.
At a news conference Tuesday with South Korean reporters, Thae made clear he was not aware of the status of North Korea's nuclear program but expressed confidence that China would not severely discipline North Korea for its nuclear program because the North's disintegration could produce a combined U.S.-friendly Korea.
Thae said North Korean leader Kim Jung Un has no plans to relinquish his country's nuclear weapons even if he is offered large sums of money. The exiled diplomat said Kim is expediting the country's nuclear development program with the intent of possessing nuclear weapons by the end of next year.
North Korea conducted two nuclear tests this year and fired over 20 ballistic missiles. And it publicly promised to develop the ability to strike the United States with a nuclear weapon.
President-elect Donald Trump has said he favors the manufacture of nuclear weapons by Japan and South Korea as a deterrent to North Korea.
Donald Trump will assume control of the executive branch of the U.S. government on January 20 and South Korea will hold a presidential election next year. Thae predicted North Korea will attempt to open dialog with the two new administrations in an attempt to obtain nuclear power status.
