各位选手、各位评委、各位来宾：
Judges and contestants,
Ladies and gentlemen,

首先，祝贺“汉语桥”世界大学生中文比赛十周岁生日。我很高兴再次出席英国区预选赛。当你再到一个地方或再次出席一项活动，中国有一句唐诗叫：“前度刘郎今又来”。恰好我姓“刘”，所以这句话形容今天的场合是再贴切不过了。
I have real pleasure attending this 10th "Chinese Bridge" Competition. I enjoyed it so much last year – so it's very good to be back! We Chinese people love poetry and are always looking for amusing word links. So I cannot resist giving you a link about 'coming back' - and it's from a poem written over a thousand years ago. The poem was written in the Tang Dynasty – a period which we think produced many great poets. This line describes the feelings of a person coming back to a place that means a lot to him. It goes: "Qian Du Liu Lang Jin You Lai." This literally means "Here comes Mr Liu again". Now that's rather apposite tonight - as I am indeed a Mr Liu come back again!

我再度前来，是要给各位选手加一把油，希望再次给你们带来好运。去年，英国赛区选拔的蒋思哲等三位同学在中国举行的总决赛中取得了特等奖及两个三等奖这一前所未有的好成绩。我希望今年你们再接再厉，能有新的优秀选手脱颖而出，再创佳绩。我也希望你们不仅仅把这里当作是一个赛场，更把这里当作是一个展现学习成果的舞台，互相交流学习心得的平台。
I come back to bring you good luck again. The same event last year produced three finalists. One of them, Mr Stewart Johnson, went on to win the very top prize in China. The other two won third prizes in the finals. That was Britain's best ever performance. I wish you the very best of luck to achieve the success of the UK contestants last year – and they set you a rather high standard! So there's the challenge! I wish you more world-beating success from you British contestants this year!

我再度前来，是要给在英的“汉语热”添一把火。我高兴地看到，近10万英国人正在学习中文，英格兰1/6的中小学开设了汉语课程，英国54所大学开设了中文课程，其中7所大学设有中文专业，13所孔子学院和54间孔子课堂在英落地生根。不久前，我应邀与查尔斯王子一同为威尔士兰德福瑞公学孔子课堂揭牌，令我意外的是，查尔斯王子用非常标准的汉语对我说：“威尔士欢迎你！”我想，有你们的王储亲作表率，你们的汉语一定会学得更好！
I come back to heat up the Mandarin fever. The contest is motivating the learning of Mandarin. I cannot tell you just how thrilled I am by that. Nearly one hundred thousand people are learning Mandarin in Britain. In your secondary and primary schools - one out of six schools is teaching Mandarin. In your higher education - 54 British universities teach Mandarin. 7 of those universities offer Mandarin as a major subject. Then there are 13 Confucius Institutes and 54 Confucius Classrooms that have been opened. On a personal note, not long ago, I had the honour of joining His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales in the opening ceremony of a Confucius Classroom at Llandovery College in Wales. His Royal Highness said to me - in surprisingly pure Mandarin - "Wei Er Shi Huan Ying Ni!" (Wales Welcomes You). What a wonderful example of leadership by the Prince to encourage young people to learn Mandarin! His example is very valuable.

我再度前来，是要给正在学习汉语的广大英国青年鼓一把劲。语言是文化的载体，是交流的工具。希望你们通过汉语学习，了解中国五千年文明历史及深厚文化传统，了解今天的中国正在努力建设一个和谐、民主、繁荣、现代化的国家。就在上周，中国全国人民代表大会通过了“十二五”规划，这是中国未来五年发展的蓝图，其核心就是要转变经济发展方式，调整经济结构，大力发展社会事业，保障和改善民生。中国不会单纯满足于经济总量成为世界第二，而是要使所有民众充分享受发展的成果，真正实现国强和民富。你们学习汉语，了解中国，可以说正当其时，精彩无限，前途无量。
I come back to cheer on the young Britons who started learning Mandarin. Languages are the most important carriers of cultural messages - and the key to effective communication. The structure of written Chinese language means it is a vital key to the history and culture of China. Mandarin is the path to explore and enjoy the 5,000-year-old history of China. Over time, as you study, I know you will be inspired and influenced by the immensity of China's cultural heritage. In turn a grasp of China's heritage is essential to really understand modern China. As China has risen – in just over 30 years – my country now ranks as the world's biggest exporter and second global economy, as measured by GDP. Given this rise it is surely a "no brainer" for any young person to understand China. China's 'blueprint' for the next five years was published last week by our Parliament - The National People's Congress. This 'blueprint' stresses the importance of adjusting China's growth model. This means changing the economy from dependency on exports to encouraging consumption inside China. The plan will strengthen social programmes - such as education and medical care - and so improve the quality of people's lives. But, growing in size and quantity is by no means China's goal. What China is after is high quality growth and a happy life for its people. The aim is for every Chinese to share in the success of development. The 'blueprint' wants China and its people to more and more "go out" into the world. All this points to very great advantages for young Britons to start learning Mandarin and begin to really understand China.

我再度前来，是要给中英友谊喝一声彩。中国和英国都是两个伟大的国家，都为人类文明的发展作出了重要贡献。中国和英国都在努力促进经济增长，双方经济互补性强，合作潜力大；中国和英国都是大国，在国际事务中发挥着重要作用。今天的中英关系，是全面的关系、合作的关系、伙伴的关系。中英关系从来没有像现在这样广泛和深入，从来没有像现在这样充满发展动力和机遇。中英关系的发展需要两国人民的全力支持、参与和投入，特别是需要两国年轻人的继承和创新。你们学习汉语的过程，也是与中国接触和交流的过程，希望你们多与中国青年接触和交流。我常说，青年是国家的未来，也是中英关系的未来。希望中英两国青年通过语言和思想的交流，增进了解和理解，培植中英友谊之花，孕育中英友谊之果，为中英关系奠定更加美好的未来。
I come back to cheer for China-Uk friendship. China and the UK share much a great deal. We are both great nations who have made tremendous contributions to human civilisation. A key shared attribute is our inventiveness. A simple example is in creating revolutions in communications. China gave the world paper and printing. In turn UK used paper and printing to create another communications revolution. This was the invention of the postage stamps and low cost mail delivery. Both our countries play a major role in global affairs. Both are increasingly drawn together to promote economic development. Often our exchanges stress economics and trade. But I believe the optimal way to accelerate trade and economics is with much deeper cultural understanding. That is why this competition has such huge significance. Through building the bridge we link the young people of the world. Young people are the future and so the future of our friendship.

最后，我愿用中文对今天的参赛选手说：“中国欢迎你们！”，“祝你们再次载誉而归！”
To conclude. I cannot grant magic wishes to make you all champions – but let me wish all the contestants best of luck.

现在我宣布第十届“汉语桥”世界大学生中文比赛英国区预选赛正式开始！
Now please allow me to officially announce the opening of the 10th "Chinese Bridge" Competition!