中英共建新丝绸之路

On 13 March 2017, the Daily Telegraph and its website published a signed article by Ambassador Liu Xiaoming entitled “Britain is helping us build a new Silk Road”. The full text is as follows:

2017年3月13日，英国《每日电讯报》纸质版和网络版同时刊登刘晓明大使题为《中英共建新丝绸之路》的署名文章。全文如下：

Britain Is Helping Us Build a New Silk Road

中英共建新丝绸之路

Liu Xiaoming

刘晓明

For more than 2,000 years, the Silk Road has borne witness to exchange and friendship between the East and West. With its tales of trade and travel down the ages, the route has traditions that have become a source of inspiration for those who seek new opportunities for common development. Now, China is looking to work with Britain in a new partnership, on a new Silk Road for today: the Belt and Road Initiative.

两千多年以来，丝绸之路为促进东西方各国人民互通有无、友好往来，书写下辉煌的历史篇章，也为今天的人们抓住时代机遇、促进共同发展提供了智慧源泉。如今，中国期待同英国发展新的伙伴关系，就当代新丝绸之路--“一带一路”倡议开展合作。

We are already seeing the fruits of this approach. In January, the first freight train from China’s eastern town of Yiwu arrived in London, extending Belt and Road (B&R) to the far western end of Europe. But there are other tangible results of this kind of enhanced, global cooperation.

我们已经见证这一倡议的成果。今年1月，从中国东部城市义乌出发的中欧国际货运班列首次抵达伦敦，标志着“一带一路”已延伸到欧洲最西端。这种全球合作的不断加强还带来了其它实实在在的成果。

Britain is a country of global influence and can be an important partner for China in B&R. Britain has many strengths and unique advantages that could give it a head start in B&R cooperation. It has a highly internationalised financial sector and mature professional services in law and consulting; it has prestigious think tanks and educational institutions as well as world-class R&D and innovation platforms. And, of course, it has a language that is spoken around the world, and close historical and cultural ties with countries along the B&R route.

These strengths and advantages put Britain in an excellent position to secure the opportunities the B&R has to offer. China and the UK can continue to advance their respective development strategies in tandem, can expand trade and investment, jointly explore and develop the market along the B&R route, and deliver greater common prosperity.

英国是具有全球影响力的大国，也是“一带一路”重要合作方。英国参与“一带一路”具备许多独特资源与条件。从发达的国际金融业到成熟的法律、咨询等专业服务业，从知名智库、教育机构到世界一流的科技研发与创新平台，从英语语言优势到与沿线国家深厚的历史文化渊源，这些都为英方深度参与“一带一路”建设提供了广阔空间。中英可在“一带一路”框架下，加强各自发展战略对接，扩大投资和贸易合作规模，探讨在沿线国家共同开发第三方市场，将共同繁荣的蛋糕越做越大。

This has much in common with Prime Minister May’s vision of a truly “Global Britain” that “embraces the world”. Both leaders understand that win-win results are only possible if we increase global connectivity and share the fruits of growth. Increasing connectivity along the new Silk Road is one way to achieve that.

这与梅首相提出英国要“拥抱世界”，打造“全球化英国”有诸多相通之处。中英两国领导人都了解，只有大力推进全球互联互通和分享发展成果，才能实现互利共赢。加强“一带一路”沿线互联互通是实现上述目标的重要途径。

The forthcoming Forum in Beijing will be the most important international gathering to advance, as its theme suggests, “Cooperation for Common Prosperity”. So far, leaders from more than 20 countries across Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America have confirmed their attendance. Discussions at the forum will be devoted to infrastructure connectivity, commercial cooperation, industrial investment, energy and resources, financial support, cultural and people-to-people exchange, eco-environmental protection and maritime cooperation, among others.

即将在北京召开的高峰论坛是关于“一带一路”建设最高规格的国际盛会，其主题是“加强国际合作，共建‘一带一路’，实现共赢发展”。目前，已有来自亚洲、欧洲、非洲、拉美等地区的20多位各国领导人确认与会。论坛将围绕基础设施互联互通、经贸合作、产业投资、能源资源、金融支撑、人文交流、生态环保和海洋合作等重要领域进行讨论。

The remarkable opportunities of “Belt and Road” cooperation are now up for grabs. With China, Britain can be a key partner, reaping the potential of these opportunities. By ensuring we pull together, the B&R initiative can, like the Silk Road before it, go a long way to delivering better lives for many millions of people, from Asia to Europe.

“一带一路”合作蕴含巨大机遇。英国可以成为中国的关键伙伴，收获这些机遇带来的发展潜力。相信在中英及有关各方共同努力下，“一带一路”建设如同古代丝绸之路一样，一定能行稳致远，不断结出丰硕成果，造福从亚洲到欧洲数以亿计的各国人民。