坚定信心 抓住机遇 深化合作

Shore up Confidence, Seize the Opportunities and Deepen Cooperation

——驻英国大使刘晓明在英中贸易协会大使告别座谈会上的演讲

Speech by H.E. Ambassador Liu Xiaoming at the CBBC Farewell Roundtable

尊敬的英中贸易协会名誉主席沙逊勋爵，

尊敬的英中贸易协会主席古沛勤爵士，

女士们、先生们、朋友们；

大家上午好！

LordSassoon,

Sir Sherard,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends:

Good morning!

感谢英中贸协专门为我举办告别座谈会。在离任回国之际，很高兴有机会通过视频方式再次与英国工商界朋友畅叙友情、共话发展。

Letme begin with a big thank you to the China Britain Business Council for hostingthis special roundtable for me to bid farewell.

It is a real delight to meet you again online to renew ourfriendship and talk about opportunities for development before I complete mytour of office and leave for China.

我从事外交工作47年，曾在非洲、美洲、亚洲、欧洲6个国家常驻。出使英国11年，是我第三次担任中国驻外大使，也是我驻外时间最长的一次。我很荣幸地成为中英关系史上任期最长的中国驻英使节和中国历史上任期最长的驻外大使。

Inmy diplomatic career of 47 years, I have had six overseas postings on fourcontinents: Africa, America, Asia and Europe. The eleven years spent in the UKare my third tour as Chinese Ambassador and the longest of my overseaspostings. It is indeed an honour to be the longest-serving Chinese Ambassadorboth in the history of China-UK relations and of all Chinese ambassadors of alltime.

11年前，我刚刚来英履新不久，英中贸协在伦敦克莱瑞奇酒店为我举行了欢迎午宴。我在致辞中承诺，将以加强中英政治互信、深化两国各领域合作、扩大双方战略共识和利益为使命，推动中英关系不断向前发展。11年来，我夙夜在公，勤勉工作，忠实履行职责使命。

WhenI first arrived in the UK eleven years ago, CBBC held a welcome lunch for me atClaridge's Hotel. In my remarks at the lunch, I promised to take it as mymission to deepen political mutual trust, enhance cooperation across the board,and expand strategic consensus and common interests of our two countries, so asto bring the China-UK relationship forward. Over the past eleven years, I haveworked diligently to keep my words and fulfill my duty.

这11年，我们共同见证和推动中英互利合作引领新方向。2015年习近平主席对英国进行“超级国事访问”，开启了中英关系“黄金时代”，指明了中英关系和务实合作大方向。中英两国总理会晤、经济财金对话等高层对话机制，为中英合作注入了强劲动力。11年来，中英合作开风气之先，在中国与西方国家多个领域务实合作中发挥了引领作用：英国在西方大国中第一个加入亚投行并向亚投行专门基金注资，第一个设立人民币结算中心，第一个发行人民币主权债券，第一个任命“一带一路”特使，第一个签署《“一带一路”融资指导原则》。

Inthese eleven years, we witnessed and worked together for the opening up of newfrontiers for China-UK mutually-beneficial cooperation.

In 2015, President Xi Jinping paid a "super statevisit" to the UK, The visit ushered in the China-UK "Golden Era"and charted the course for the overall China-UK relationship as well aspractical cooperation. High-level dialogue mechanisms between China and the UKincluding the Prime Ministers' Meeting and the Economic and Financial Dialogueoffered strong impetus for cooperation between our two countries. In the pasteleven years, China-UK cooperation played a pioneering and leading role in manyareas of productive cooperation between China and Western countries. Amongmajor Western countries, the UK was

· the first to join the AIIB and inject capital into theAIIB special fund;

· the first to set up an RMB clearing centre and issue RMBsovereign bond;

· and the first to appoint a special envoy to the Belt andRoad Initiative (BRI) and to sign the Guiding Principles on Financing theDevelopment of the BRI.

这11年，我们共同见证和推动中英贸易投资迈向新高度。一是双边贸易额快速增长。2010年至2020年，中英货物贸易额2010年501亿美元增至924亿美元，特别是2020年在新冠肺炎疫情蔓延和国际贸易持续低迷的情况下，两国贸易额仍创历史新高。二是中英投资合作不断深入。截至2019年底，英国在华直接投资存量253.9亿美元；中国对英直接投资存量达171.4亿美元，较2009年底增长约20倍，投资领域从传统行业向高端制造、信息科技、文化创意等新领域延伸，英国成为中国在欧洲第二大投资目的地。三是大型项目取得重大进展。11年前，两国基本没有标志性的合作大项目；而如今，在双方共同努力下，欣克利角C核电站、皇家阿尔伯特码头等多个中国在英投资旗舰项目正稳步推进。

Inthese eleven years, we witnessed and worked together for new records inChina-UK trade and investment.

First, bilateral trade has surged.

From 2010 to 2020, China-UK trade in goods surged from $50.1billion to $92.4 billion. Despite the pandemic and the contraction ofinternational trade that follows, China-UK trade still hit a historical record.

Second, China-UK cooperation in investmenthas kept deepening.

By the end of 2019, FDI from the UK to China totaled $25.39billion; in the other direction, FDI from China to the UK totaled $17.14billion. This is about 20 times the level at the end of 2009, and has made theUK the second largest destination in Europe for Chinese investment.

Moreover, Chinese investment has expanded from traditionalindustries to new areas such as high-end manufacturing, information technologyand cultural and creative industries.

Third, large-scale projects have madeimportant progress.

Eleven years ago, there was basically no large-scale flagshipproject jointly built by our two sides. Now, with the efforts of both sides,several China-invested flagship projects in the UK are making steady progress,including Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant and ABP Royal Albert Dock.

这11年，我们共同见证和推动中英金融和“一带一路”合作取得新突破。中英积极推进绿色金融和金融科技等合作，在英设立分行的中资银行增加至8家；“沪伦通”正式开通，多家中资企业在伦交所上市，开创中国与境外资本市场互联互通先河；伦敦成为世界第一大人民币离岸交易中心和第二大人民币离岸清算中心，人民币清算量超过50万亿元。英国将己作为“一带一路”的“天然合作伙伴”，两次派首相特别代表赴华出席“一带一路”国际合作高峰会论坛；中英签署第三方市场合作协议，双方在第三方市场融资、提供专业技术与服务等方面积极开展合作。

Inthese eleven years, we witnessed and worked together for new breakthroughs inChina-UK cooperation on financial services and the BRI.

Both China and the UK have made vigorous efforts to advancecooperation in green finance and FinTech.

· Eight Chinese banks have opened branches in the UK

· The Shanghai-London Stock Connect was officiallylaunched, connecting for the first time the Chinese capital market with aforeign one, and enabling many Chinese companies to be listed here in London.

· London became the world's largest offshore RMB exchangecentre and the second largest offshore RMB clearing centre. The total clearingvolume has already exceeded 50 trillion RMB yuan.

The UK is a natural partner for China in BRI cooperation. Thespecial representative of the Prime Minister of the UK has attended bothsessions of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. China andthe UK are also committed to working together in third markets. We have signedan agreement on such cooperation and worked together on financing, expertiseand services.

女士们、先生们、朋友们，

Ladiesand Gentlemen,

Dear Friends:

中英互利合作的丰硕成果，给两国人民带来了实实在在益处：中国投资的纯电动、低排放出租车驶上了伦敦街头；英国美食饮品通过“进博会”的平台走上了中国百姓餐桌；中国投资为英国当地创造了可观税收和就业，也为英国企业转型升级和产业高质量发展提供了动力。展望未来，中英合作潜力巨大、前景广阔。我对此充满信心，也有三点期许：

Theproductive China-UK business cooperation has delivered tangible benefits to thepeoples of our two countries:

· China-invested electric, low-emission cabs are running inthe streets of London.

· British food found their way to the dinner tables of Chinesefamilies with the facilitation of, among others, the China International ImportExpo.

· Chinese companies in the UK generated tax revenue and jobopportunities for local communities and contributed to the transformation andupgrading of British businesses and the high-quality development of Britishindustries.

Going forward, I am confident that our cooperation will enjoyenormous potential and promising prospects if China and the UK can follow threeprinciples.

一是要胸怀大局，互尊互信。历史告诉我们，只要相互尊重、平等相待，遵守国际法和国际关系基本准则，中英关系就向前发展；反之则遭遇挫折，甚至倒退。一个健康稳定的中英关系，符合两国人民共同利益，也有利于世界的和平与发展。双方应着眼大局和长远，视彼此发展为机遇而非挑战甚至威胁，始终尊重彼此核心利益和重大关切，推动中英关系持续健康发展，为深化两国务实合作创造良好条件。

First,we should bear in mind the big picture, respect each other and strengthenmutual trust.

History tells us that when the principles of mutual respect andequality are followed, and international law and the basic norms governingstate-to-state relations are observed, China-UK relationship will move forward;otherwise, it will suffer setbacks or even retrogression.

A sound and stable China-UK relationship is not only in thecommon interests of our peoples but also conducive to world peace anddevelopment.

It is important that China and the UK always have in mind thebig picture and long-term interests, view each other's development asopportunities, rather than challenges or threats, and respect each other's coreinterests and major concerns, so as to ensure the sustained and sound growth ofChina-UK relations and foster favourable conditions for deeper and productivecooperation between our two countries.

二是要把握大势，坚定信心。当今世界正面临百年变局和世纪疫情的叠加冲击，单边主义、保护主义和逆全球化思潮抬头，不确定不稳定因素增多。中英合作机遇与挑战并存。我们要对经济全球化大趋势充满信心，对中国开放发展前景充满信心，对中英互利合作未来充满信心，共同高举自由贸易的旗帜，携手构建开放型世界经济，推动经济全球化朝着更加开放、包容、普惠、平衡、共赢方向发展。

Second,we should follow the major trend of our times and shore up confidence.

Today, the world is experiencing the most profound changes in acentury. These changes are happening not only amidst a pandemic unseen in acentury. They have also come against surging unilateralism, protectionism andanti-globalisation sentiments, and growing uncertainties and instabilities inmany places of the world.

For those of us who are committed to promoting China-UKcooperation, there are both opportunities and challenges.

It is important that we remain confident in the major trend ofeconomic globalisation, in the prospects of China's opening up and development,and in the future of China-UK mutually-beneficial cooperation.

With such confidence, we should hold high the banner of freetrade, work together to build an open world economic and ensure an open,inclusive, balanced and win-win economic globalisation.

三是要抓住机遇，深化合作。中英发展战略契合度高，经贸合作互补性强。当前，两国都处于新的重要发展时期：中国即将开启“十四五”新篇章，踏上全面建设社会主义现代化国家的新征程，加速构建国内国际双循环相互促进的新发展格局，推动高质量发展，实施更大范围、更宽领域、更深层次的全面开放。英国则完成脱欧，进入打造“全球化英国”和拓展全球合作伙伴的新阶段。中英应积极发挥各自优势，推进双方政策协调和战略对接，深化双方在贸易投资、基础设施、金融、高新科技等领域合作，打造更多合作成果，助力各自发展繁荣，更好造福两国人民。

Third,we should seek and seize opportunities to deepen cooperation.

China and the UK have highly-matching development strategies andcomplementary economies. At the moment, both our two countries are at a new,important development stage:

China is opening a new chapter. We will soon roll out the 14thFive Year Plan and continue on the journey of building a modern social countryin all aspects. The "dual circulation" development paradigmencourages a reinforcing interaction between the domestic and internationalmarkets. It means China will pursue high-quality growth and will open up widerand deeper.

The UK has just completed Brexit. It is now entering into a newstage of building a "global Britain" and expanding global partnershipnetwork.

China and the UK should leverage our respective strengths,coordinate our policies and dovetail our growth strategies. We should deepencooperation in areas such as trade and investment, infrastructure, financialservices and high and new technology, and make them more productive. This willboost development and prosperity in both our countries and deliver morebenefits to our peoples.

女士们、先生们、朋友们，

Ladiesand Gentlemen,

Dear Friends:

中英经贸合作今天取得的成就，离不开英中贸协和两国工商界人士的辛勤付出。多年来，英中贸协积极为中英两国工商界牵线搭桥，为双方深化务实合作献计献策。去年疫情暴发以来，英中贸协协调两国企业和金融机构捐款捐物，两国工商界用实际行动演绎了中英携手抗疫、共克时艰的故事。借此机会，我谨对你们为推进中英合作所作贡献表示敬意！我还要特别感谢我的老朋友沙逊勋爵、古沛勤爵士和白乐威爵士，你们在过去11年先后担任英中贸协主席，为我在英履职提供了鼎力支持和帮助！

China-UKbusiness cooperation has been productive and successful. This would not havebeen possible without the hard work of the business communities from bothsides, especially CBBC.

Over the years, CBBC has made vigorous efforts to connect theChinese and British business communities. You have also shared invaluable ideasand thoughts on deepening business cooperation between our two sides.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, CBBC has brought Chinese andBritish business and financial institutions together to donate funds andsupplies. It was a touching story of Chinese and British business communitiestaking concrete actions in time of difficulties and joining hands to fight thepandemic. I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to you for yourcontribution to China-UK cooperation!

我衷心希望各位工商界朋友一如既往地关心中英关系发展，支持两国互利合作，支持中国驻英使馆和我的继任者新大使的工作，不断为中英关系稳定健康发展贡献智慧和力量。

Myspecial thanks go to my old friends and the chairs of CBBC, Lord Sassoon, SirSherard and Sir David! Thank you for your all out support and assistance to mein the past eleven years!

I sincerely hope that my friends from the business sector will,as you always do, continue supporting China-UK relations and mutually beneficialcooperation. I also hope you will continue supporting the work of the ChineseEmbassy and my successor the new ambassador. Your wisdom and efforts willcontinue to be the valuable source of strength for the steady and sounddevelopment of China-UK relations.

再过22天，我们将迎来中国农历牛年春节。牛在中国文化中象征着忠诚勤劳、繁荣兴旺。借此机会，我给大家拜个早年，祝愿各位身体健康、事业兴旺，祝愿我们的友谊地久天长！

In22 days, it will be the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Ox. In the Chineseculture, the Ox is a symbol of loyalty, hard work and prosperity.

I would like to take this opportunity to send you my very bestand early wishes for a Happy Chinese New Year!

I wish you health and success! And I hope our friendship lastsforever!

谢谢大家！

Thankyou!