近一个时期，英国钢铁行业不断传来不好消息，一些企业将停产或被出售，数千就业岗位面临威胁。英国是现代钢铁工业发源地，19世纪后半叶钢铁产量几乎占全球一半，曾一度是世界钢铁中心。时至今日，英钢铁行业逐步萎缩，步履维艰，令人感到惋惜。

Recently, the UK's steel industry has been dogged by news of closures or sell-offs, with thousands of jobs at risk. This is a sad story: the pioneer of the modern steel industry – once the world's factory, churning out almost half of global steel production in the latter half of the 19th century – is shrinking and bogged down in difficulties.

但令我感到遗憾的是，英国一些人士将英国钢铁业不景气的归咎于中国，指责中国以不合理的低价向英国"倾销"钢材，挤压了英国钢铁企业的生存空间。这种将中国作为"替罪羊"的观点不仅误导公众，也无益于问题的解决。

However, it is regrettable that some people in Britain blame China for what is happening in the British steel industry and accuse China of "dumping" steels in Britain and pricing local companies out of the steel market. Making China the "scapegoat" only misleads the public and contributes nothing to the solution of the problem.

我感到，作为中国大使，我有责任向英国公众讲清真相。英国钢铁业的不景气是由于国际国内多重原因造成的。

As Chinese Ambassador, I believe it is my duty to share with the British public what I see as the multiple reasons behind the sluggishness in Britain's steel industry.

从行业发展看，在发达国家钢铁业占经济比重日益减少是大趋势，金融业和现代服务业已取代传统制造业的地位。谢菲尔德从"钢铁之都"转型为"体育教育之城"就是最好的例证。

First of all, the shrinking steel sector tallies with the general trend in advanced economies where traditional manufacturing has been replaced by a modern services and financial sector. Sheffield's transformation from a steel-making city to a sport and education hub is a case in point.