Aqueous polymer isocyanate (API), which has good adhesive properties at ambient temperature and excellent resistance to warm/boiling water, and is friendly to the environment, is widely used in the timber-processing industry. To prepare high performance API, vinyl acetate homopolymer and copolymer emulsion were respectively cross-linked by three types of polymeric methylene diisocyanate (p-MDI). The potlife, curing time, bonding strength, and water resistance of API adhesives were tested with different cross-linkers and varying loadings (5-20%). Also the effect of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) content of aqueous vinyl latex on the performance of API was investigated. It was shown that the potlife and curing time of API were obviously influenced by the types of cross-linker and its loading. Correct loadings of p-MDI as crosslinker can remarkably improve the adhesive performance of aqueous polymer emulsion at ambient temperature. Excess cross-linker cannot maintain such an effect of strengthening and may decrease considerably the bond properties of API. The warm- and boiling-water resistance of API improved markedly with increasing cross-linker loading, where emulsifiable isocyanate gave better cross-linking performance, and p-MDI mixed with organic solvent was the secondbest. With the increase of PVOH content, the curing time of API increased, but no statistically apparent differences in the potlife of API were found. The bonding performance of API was improved as PVOH content increases, but excess PVOH also weakenes the warm- and boiling-water resistance of the joint.