Based on typhoon best track data of China Meteorological Administration and NCEP global reanalysis data, this study analyzed the characteristics of binary tropical cyclones (TC) in the Northwest Pacific Ocean during 1951 to 2014 by using the objective determine standard. When the distance between the two TCs d≤ 1 800 km, they are defined as binary tropical cyclones or binary typhoons. And binary typhoons are divided into two different types which are typical binary typhoons and atypical binary typhoons. The climatic characteristics of binary tropical cyclones are as follows: There were 699 pairs of binary typhoons in Northwest Pacific Ocean during 1951 to 2014. In these cases, there were 446 pairs of typical binary typhoons and 253 pairs of atypical cases, occupying 63.8% and 36.2%, respectively. The proportion of typical cases increased with the shortest distance decreasing, while the proportion of atypical cases decreased with the shortest distance decreasing. When the speed of typical binary typhoons moving towards each other reached the peak, binary typhoons mainly showed the east to west direction. At this time, typhoons were controlled by easterly stream of the southern edge of the subtropical high. In this situation, the east typhoon moved toward the west typhoon quickly. When the anticlockwise angular velocity of typical binary typhoons reached the peak, binary cases distributed northeast to southwest or east-northeast to west-southwest, appearing in west and southwest edge of the subtropical high and mainly being controlled by southeasterly stream, thus benefiting the anticlockwise rotation between the typical binary typhoons.