Write a New Chapter of China-UK Relations
携手谱写中英关系新篇章
– Remarks by H.E. Ambassador Liu Xiaoming at the APPCG Chinese New Year Reception
——刘晓明大使在英国议会春节招待会上的讲话
Palace of Westminster, 21 February 2018
2018年2月21日，英国议会
Chairman Graham, Secretary Fox, My Lords and MPs, Ladies and Gentlemen,
尊敬的英国议会跨党派中国小组主席格雷厄姆先生，尊敬的英国国际贸易大臣福克斯阁下，尊敬的各位议员，女士们、先生们，
It is a great pleasure to join you at the APPCG Chinese New Year Reception for the eighth time in a row. During my eight years as Chinese Ambassador to the UK, I did not miss a single APPCG Chinese New Year Reception. I have outdone all the other Chinese Ambassadors before me. And I take great pride in setting this record. What gives me greater pride is bearing witness to the growth of our two countries and the progress of China-UK relations over the past eight years. Last year, the changes were extraordinary.
很高兴出席英国议会跨党派中国小组春节招待会，这是我第八次出席。8年来，我从未缺席，创下一个纪录，成为出席英国议会春节招待会次数最多的中国驻英大使，我对此感到自豪。然而，使我更感到自豪的是，8年来我见证了英中两国发展进步和中英关系的岁月变迁，特别是去年，变化尤为显著。
In the UK, you had the snap election, you began the negotiations to leave the EU, and you stepped into a new historic stage of building a “global Britain”. In China, we held the successful 19th National Congress of the Communist Party, we started a new era for building socialism with Chinese characteristics and we embarked on a new path of building a modern socialist country on all fronts.
2017年，英国提前举行大选，启动脱欧进程，进入打造“全球化英国”的历史新阶段。中国成功召开中共十九大，引领中国特色社会主义进入新时代，开启全面建设社会主义现代化国家的新征程。
For China-UK relations, 2017 was also a significant year. Our two countries celebrated the 45th anniversary of ambassadorial diplomatic ties, and we consolidated the China-UK “Golden Era”. Now, with your permission, I would like to borrow the acronym of your group and summarize China-UK relations in 2017 as “APPCG”. Let me explain.
2017年，中英庆祝建立大使级外交关系45周年，两国关系“黄金时代”深入发展。我认为，可以用议会跨党派中国小组的英文缩写“APPCG”来概括2017年的中英关系：
A is for assurance, that is, mutual assurance of our strategic consensus. President Xi and Prime Minister May had a successful meeting during the G20 Hamburg Summit. Premier Li and Prime Minister May exchanged congratulatory letters on the 45th anniversary of ambassadorial diplomatic ties. And the leaders of our two countries stayed in touch through phone calls and letters. Through these exchanges, our two countries reaffirmed our commitment to the China-UK “Golden Era”, and consolidated our political trust.
一是A，即“Assurance”，战略共识再确认。习近平主席与梅首相在二十国集团汉堡峰会期间会晤，李克强总理与梅首相就两国建交45周年互致贺信，以及两国领导人多次互通电话和信函，双方重申坚持中英关系“黄金时代”的大方向，两国政治互信更加牢固。
P is for progress. New progress was made in the cooperation between China and the UK in all areas ranging from trade, investment to innovation, and from nuclear power to cultural and people-to-people exchanges. In 2017, bilateral trade in goods exceeded $79 billion. British export to China increased by nearly 20%, as China continues to be one of UK's fastest growing export markets. Chinese investment in the UK topped $19.1 billion, and British investment in China was over $22.5 billion. The Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant, which is a flagship project in China-UK cooperation, has entered into construction phase. And Hualong One technology has moved to the second stage of the generic design assessment. The China-UK Joint Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation was signed. This is the very first such document between China and other countries in the field of science and technology.
二是P，即“Progress”，务实合作新进展。两国贸易、投资、核电、创新、人文等各领域合作“黄金成果”丰硕。2017年中英货物贸易额超过790亿美元，英国对华出口增长近20%，中国继续是英国增长最快的出口市场之一；中国对英投资存量超过191亿美元，英国对华投资总量超过225亿美元。两国合作旗舰项目欣克利角核电站主体工程开工，“华龙一号”技术通用设计评审进入第二阶段。中英共同发表《中英科技创新合作战略》，开创了中国与其他国家科技创新合作的先河。
The second P is for platform. The platform for cooperation between China and the UK has been expanded thanks to accelerated cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative. Here are a number of a new highlights: Chancellor Hammond attended the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in China as the personal envoy of Prime Minister May. The UK became the first major Western country to sign the Guiding Principles on Financing the Development of the Belt and Road. The Treasury appointed a special envoy to the Belt and Road Initiative, and the Expert Board was set up. A total of ￡25 billion was pledged in support of Belt and Road projects in Asia. The UK also joined China in announcing the establishment of a bilateral investment fund, with an initial capital injection of $1 billion.
三是P，即“Platform”，“一带一路”拓平台。中英“一带一路”合作加速推进，成为两国务实合作新亮点。财政大臣哈蒙德作为梅首相特使赴华出席“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛。英国成为签署《“一带一路”融资指导原则》的首个西方国家，设立了“一带一路”特使和专家理事会，宣布支持250亿英镑“一带一路”亚洲项目，中英共同建立首期10亿美元双边投资基金。
The letter C is for consolidation, that is, further consolidation of public support for China-UK relations. Fine selections of the Peking opera, such as The Phoenix Returns Home and A River All Red, appealed to the British audience and increased their enthusiasm for Chinese culture. As we speak, 170 thousand Chinese students are studying here in this country. Across the UK, there are 29 Confucius Institutes and 148 Confucius Classrooms, with a total of over 160 thousand registered students. This is the largest number in Europe. The Chinese method of maths teaching has entered British classrooms. British enthusiasm for learning the Chinese language was huge, with over 600 primary and secondary schools offering Chinese language courses.
四是C，即“Consolidation”，民意基础更稳固。京剧“凤还巢”、“满江红”等火爆英伦，引发新一轮“中国热”。目前17万中国留学生在英就读，在英的29所孔子学院和148家孔子课堂注册学员超过16万，稳居欧洲第一。中式数学教学列入英国课程，600多所英国中小学开设了中文课程，“汉语热”方兴未艾。
At the same time, the British culture has enormous appeal to the Chinese people. The Premier League and the British TV series and films such as Downton Abbey, Harry Potter and Sherlock have a large number of fans in China. Then, there is the ever so popular English language, with further support from the “English is GREAT” campaign launched by Prime Minister May during her visit to China. All these have given a strong boost to cultural and people-to-people exchanges between our two countries, and gathered more public support for our bilateral relations.
同时，“英伦风”在中国持续升温，《唐顿庄园》、《哈利波特》、《神探夏洛克》等英国影视作品和英超俱乐部在中国有大批粉丝，梅首相此次访华还启动了“英语真棒”项目。所有这些有力促进了两国的文化与人文交流，进一步夯实了中英关系民意基础。
Now, we come to G. G is for the global issues where China and the UK enjoy broad consensus. In the new era, the bilateral relationship between our two countries has increasingly taken on a more global and strategic significance. Our two countries enjoy sound cooperation under the framework of the UN, the G20 and the AIIB. We expanded our strategic consensus on major global issues such as free trade, global governance and climate change. And we maintained close communication on international and regional hotspots including the Korean Peninsular nuclear issue and the Iran nuclear issue. In the words of Prime Minister May at the Lord Mayor's Banquet last year, China's decisions together with Britain's will “shape the world around us”.
五是G，即“Global”，全球共识更突出。新形势下，中英关系的全球性、战略性内涵日益突出。双方在联合国、二十国集团、亚投行等框架下合作良好，在自由贸易、全球治理、气候变化等重大国际问题上战略共识增多，在朝核、伊朗核等国际和地区热点问题上保持密切沟通。正如梅首相去年在金融城市长年度晚宴上所说，中英可携手塑造世界格局。
So, that is my summary of “APPCG” for China-UK relations in 2017. Now let me turn to the owner of this acronym, the All Party Parliamentary China Group. Since its establishment 21 years ago, the APPCG has made important contribution to China-UK inter-parliamentary exchanges. And through such efforts, you have helped to enhance understanding of China among the British public. You have worked for closer and all-round China-UK relations. I hope the new year will see more frequent China-UK inter-parliamentary exchanges at all levels. I look forward to more outcomes from these exchanges and greater contribution to our bilateral relations.
值得一提的是，议会跨党派中国小组成立21年来，积极促进中英议会交往，增进英各界对华认知，为推动中英关系全面发展做出了重要贡献。我期待在新的一年，两国议会各层级交流更加频繁，取得更多成果，为两国关系发展做出更大贡献。