The Daily Telegraph Publishes a Signed Article by Ambassador Liu Xiaoming Entitled EU and China should join hands on free trade

2018年8月24日，英国主流大报《每日电讯报》纸质版和网络版同时刊登驻英国大使刘晓明题为《中国与欧洲应携手促进自由贸易，共同捍卫基于规则的国际多边贸易体系》的署名文章。该报并通过其推特账户发表推文，引发读者热烈反响。文章全文如下：

　　今年是中国改革开放40周年，也是中欧全面战略伙伴关系建立15周年。这是一个值得纪念的年份，更是一个回顾与展望的年份。回首过去，共同的利益使中欧走到一起；展望未来，共同的责任需要我们敢于担当。当前，贸易保护主义和单边主义甚嚣尘上，国际经贸关系持续紧张，不稳定、不确定因素增多。在此背景下，作为国际社会两大负责任的稳定性力量，中国和欧洲应加强协调，共同捍卫基于规则的国际多边贸易体系。

On 24 August 2018, the Daily Telegraph and its website published a signed article by Ambassador Liu Xiaoming entitled EU and China should join hands on free trade. The full text is as follows:

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up policy, and the 15th anniversary of the China-European Union Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. It is both a time for commemoration and an opportunity to review the past and look to the future. 

In the past, common interests brought China and Europe together; for the future, common responsibility calls for more co-operation between the two.

Against surging protectionism and unilateralism, continued tension in international trade relations, and rising instability and uncertainty, China and Europe, as two responsible forces for maintaining stability, need to enhance co-ordination and safeguard the rules-based multilateral trade regime.

　　首先，中欧都是国际多边贸易体系的受益者。随着经济全球化深入发展，各国产业链、价值链加快融合，国际经贸关系已形成“你中有我，我中有你”的格局。在国际多边贸易体系的制度保障下，中欧经贸合作实现了快速发展。40年来，中欧货物贸易额从约40亿美元增至6000多亿美元，服务贸易从零增至1000多亿美元。中欧双向投资从一无所有，到目前投资存量近2000亿美元。欧盟连续14年保持中国第一大贸易伙伴地位，中国则成为欧盟第二大贸易伙伴。可以说，没有国际多边贸易体系的支撑，就没有中欧经贸合作的跨越式发展。

Both China and Europe have benefited from the multilateral trade system. Deeper economic globalisation and accelerated integration of industrial and value chains all over the world have increased the inter-dependence between countries in international trade. 

The trade and economic co-operation between China and the EU have grown rapidly thanks to the safeguard of the multilateral trade regime. Over the past 40 years, China-EU trade in goods has increased from less than $4 billion to over $600 billion; trade in services has grown from zero to over $100 billion; and the investment stock has soared from zero to nearly $200. 

The EU has been China's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years, and China is the EU's second largest trading partner. Without the multilateral trade system, such leapfrogging progress could not have been possible.