難忘英倫十一載
2021新年伊始，萬象更新，孕育著新機遇，也承載著新希望。我即將卸任中國駐英國大使。在我啟程回國前夕，回首出使英國的近4千個日日夜夜，不禁百感交集、思緒萬千。
As 2021
brings fresh opportunities and new hopes, I will be heading home upon
completing my 11-year-tour of office as the eleventh ambassador of New China to
the UK. I am the longest-serving both in the history of China-UK relations and
of all Chinese ambassadors of all time.
我是新中國第11任駐英國大使，持節英倫11年，成為迄今中英關系史上任期最長的駐英使節，也是中國歷史上任職時間最長的駐外大使。英國不僅是我47年外交生涯的最長一站，也是最后一站，我對此備感幸運和珍惜。借此機會，我謹向所有為我履職提供支持的英國朋友表示衷心感謝！
Looking
back at the nearly 4,000 days I have spent here, I find myself filled with a
myriad of feelings, not least because this is the last tour in my diplomatic
career of 47 years. This posting has given me much honour and many memories to
cherish. And I feel grateful to my British friends who have given me invaluable
support as I have discharged my duties here in the UK.
11年里，我遍訪英倫各地，與各界人士廣泛交流，深入探討，推動合作。倫敦奧運會的競技英姿，議會大廈的悅耳鐘聲，泰晤士河邊的迎新煙火，諾丁漢大學和哈德斯菲爾德大學的莊重典禮，英國小朋友與大熊貓甜甜和陽光互動的萌趣笑臉…所有這些在英國工作生活的點點滴滴，所有英國朋友的深情厚誼都令人難以忘懷。
In these
11 years, I have been to all corners of the UK, engaging with people from all
walks of life, exploring ideas and promoting cooperation. There are so many
things I shall never forget: the competitions in the Olympic arena, the chimes
of Big Ben, the New Year’s Eve fireworks on the Thames, the degree ceremonies
at the University of Nottingham and the University of Huddersfield, the smiles
on the faces of children meeting giant pandas Sweetie and Sunshine. Nor shall I
forget the deep affection of my friends in the UK.
11年里，我有幸見證并參與了中英領導人的互訪。特別是2015年習近平主席對英成功國事訪問，開啟了中英關系“黃金時代”，突顯了兩國關系的戰略性、務實性、包容性和全球性，在中英關系發展史上留下濃墨重彩的一筆。我還曾接待溫家寶總理、李克強總理訪英，陪同英國首相卡梅倫、梅以及威廉王子等訪華，多次參加兩國高層對話，推動雙方加強溝通、增進互信、明確發展方向、推進互利合作。
In these
11 years, I witnessed and took part in mutual visits by Chinese and British
leaders. I take particular pride in my humble part in the successful state
visit by President Xi Jinping to the UK in 2015, which ushered in the China-UK
“Golden Era”. This visit left an indelible mark on the history of China-UK
relations by highlighting the strategic, practical, inclusive and global
significance of this relationship. I also had the honour of receiving Premier
Wen Jiabao and Premier Li Keqiang in the UK, travelling in China with Prime
Minister Cameron, Prime Minister May and the Duke of Cambridge, and attending
meetings of the China-UK dialogues. These visits and dialogues enhanced
communication, deepened trust, defined what relationship we wanted and advanced
cooperation.
11年里，中英經貿、人文等各領域務實合作碩果累累。兩國貨物貿易額從2010年的501億美元躍至2020年的923億美元，中國對英投資和英國對華出口分別增長近20倍。在英中國留學生從10余萬增至22萬，年度人員往來由100萬增至200多萬，都翻了一番。中英都是具有國際影響的大國，兩國合作廣度和深度持續拓展。特別是面對世紀疫情，兩國守望相助、互施援手、共克時艱，積極加強防控經驗交流和疫苗藥物研發合作，共同推動國際抗疫合作，進一步深化了兩國人民的友好情誼。至今，北愛爾蘭米爾本小學孔子課堂合唱團傾情演唱的《讓世界充滿愛》旋律仍不時回蕩在我的耳邊。
In these
11 years, China-UK trade, economic cooperation, and cultural and
people-to-people exchanges yielded fruitful results: from 2010 to 2020, trade
in goods surged from $50.1 billion to $92.3 billion; Chinese investment in the
UK and British exports to China rose by nearly 20 times; the number of Chinese
students in the UK and visits between the people of our countries doubled, with
the former growing from just over 100,000 to 220,000 and the latter from 1
million to over 2 million.
China
and the UK are major countries with global influence. These 11 years have seen
our cooperation increase in width and depth. There is no better example than
our joint response in the face of the challenge of a century – the Covid-19
pandemic. China and the UK have come to each other’s aid, shared experience on
prevention and control, worked together on research and development of vaccines
and medicines, and joined hands to advance international cooperation.
The
friendship between the peoples of China and the UK has deepened. The beautiful
voices of the children from the Confucius Classroom choir at Millburn Primary
School in Northern Ireland singing “Let the World be Full of Love” is a memory
I will cherish.
11年里還有一件大事是中國駐英大使館購置了新館舍。1877年，波特蘭大街49號成為中國歷史上第一個駐外外交機構所在地。140多年后的今天，原英國皇家造幣廠成為中國駐英大使館的新館址。這個“世紀工程”，將伴著川流不息的泰晤士河，繼續見證中英關系在新世紀的發展。
Another
highlight of my tour of 11 years was the purchase of the former Royal Mint
Court as the new embassy premises, more than 140 years after China’s first
diplomatic mission abroad moved into 49 Portland Place in 1877. This “project
of the century”, on the bank of the forever-flowing River Thames, will witness
the growth of China-UK relations in the new century.
誠然，11年來，中英關系并非一帆風順。中英兩國歷史文化、社會制度、發展階段不同，在一些問題上難免存在分歧。重要的是如何妥善處理這些分歧。回顧中英建立大使級外交關系以來交往的歷史與實踐，最重要的一條經驗就是，只要國際法和國際關系基本準則得到遵守，中英關系就向前發展；反之則遭遇挫折，甚至倒退。我衷心希望中英雙方牢記歷史經驗，堅持相互尊重，打造超越社會制度和意識形態差異的雙邊關系，開展互利、共贏的合作，更好造福兩國人民和世界。
These 11
years have not always been smooth sailing. Given our differences in history,
culture, social system and development stage, it is natural that China and the
UK do not always see eye to eye. But it is important that differences are
handled appropriately. A review of the history and experience of China-UK
exchanges since the establishment of an ambassadorial relationship reveals the
most important lesson: when international law and the basic norms governing
state-to-state relations are observed, the relationship will move forward;
otherwise, it will suffer setbacks or even regress. I hope that China and the
UK will keep in mind this lesson from history, respect each other, build a
relationship that transcends differences in social system and ideology, and
engage in mutually-beneficial cooperation. This is in the best interest of the
peoples of both countries and beyond.
我的使英使命雖然即將結束，但中英友好的事業沒有休止符。記得英國軍歌中有一句名言：“老兵可以退役，但精神永不謝幕”。我會繼續關注和支持中英關系，并堅信，在兩國各界人士的共同呵護下，中英關系必將經受嚴冬酷寒的考驗，早日迎來春暖花開！
My
ambassadorial mission may be drawing to a close, but China-UK friendship is a
cause that goes on. As a British military song goes, “Old soldiers never die,
they simply fade away.” I will continue to follow and support the development
of China-UK relations, and I believe that with the care of the people of all
walks of life from both countries, this relationship will withstand the test of
the cold winter and embrace a warm spring at an early date.
