Keynote Speech by H.E. Ambassador Liu Xiaoming at the Scottish Chamber of Commerce Lunch: Seize the Opportunities to Take China-Scotland Cooperation to a New Level
尊敬的苏格兰商会主席艾伦先生，
尊敬的苏格兰商会国际贸易大使瓦伦丁先生，
尊敬的苏格兰商会首席执行官卡梅伦女士，
尊敬的中国驻爱丁堡总领事马强先生，
女士们、先生们：
大家中午好！
很高兴再次应邀出席苏格兰商会举行的午宴。这是两年多来我第三次出席苏格兰商会举办的活动。近年来，苏格兰商会致力于推动对华合作，取得积极成效。苏格兰商会在中国山东省烟台市设立首个海外贸易代表处，今年10月第十五届世界华商大会上与中国内蒙古商会签署合作协议。当前，中国同苏格兰关系保持良好发展势头，我想借用苏格兰商会（Scottish Chambers of Commerce）的首字母（SCC）来概括中国与苏格兰的关系：
Chairman Tim Allen,
Ambassador David Valentine,
Ms. Liz Cameron,
Counsel-General Ma Qiang,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Good afternoon!
It is a real delight to join you for the third time in the past two years. I wish to thank the Scottish Chamber of Commerce (SCC) for making today's event possible.
In recent years, SCC has been committed to advancing cooperation with China. Your efforts have delivered many positive outcomes.
SCC has set up its first International Trade Office in Yantai, Shandong Province.
And it signed a cooperation agreement with the Inner Mongolian General Chambers of Commerce during the 15th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention last October.
I am glad to see such a sound momentum in China-Scotland relations. I would like to borrow the initials of SCC to summarise the three features of this important relationship.
第一个字母“S”，即政治基础更加稳固（Solid）。近年来，刘延东副总理、北京市委蔡奇书记成功访苏，斯特金首席部长两次成功访华，苏格兰政府贸易、投资和创新部长麦基等先后访华。高层往来为双方合作指明了方向。今年5月，深圳市和爱丁堡正式结为友好城市，成为中苏第六对友城，为双方地方合作注入新能量。特别值得一提的是，去年苏政府发布新的对华合作5年发展战略，为中苏关系发展提供了新动力。
The first letter S stands for solid. China-Scotland relationship enjoys a solid political foundation.
Recent years have seen frequent high-level exchanges between our two sides. Senior Chinese officials have made successful visits to Scotland, including Vice Premier Liu Yandong and Party Secretary of Beijing Cai Qi.
In the other direction, top officials of Scotland have made equally successful visits to China.
Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, visited China twice;
Others include Ivan McKee, Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation of the Scottish Government;
These high-level exchanges have charted the course for China-Scotland cooperation.
Last May, Shenzhen and Edinburgh became the sixth pair of sister cities between China and Scotland. This has given a fresh boost to the regional cooperation between our two sides.
Last year, the Scottish Government issued its new five-year plan on cooperation with China, which provided new impetus to China-Scotland relations.
第二个字母“C”，即务实合作更加扎实（Concrete）。近年来，中苏经贸合作不断深化。2018年，双方贸易额达36.6亿英镑。去年我参加商会活动时，有人曾问我安格斯牛肉何时能端上中国民众餐桌。我很高兴地告诉大家，今年6月在中英第十次经济财金对话期间，我代表中国政府与英国农业部国务大臣签署了《中英牛肉协议》，确定在今年年底前英国牛肉重返中国市场。今年11月，苏格兰格兰金彻（Glenfiddich）威士忌公司参加第二届中国国际进口博览会，深受中国消费者青睐。越来越多的中资企业在苏投资兴业，国投电力入股的比特瑞斯（Beatrice）海上风电项目今年8月正式投入运营。此外，深圳市与爱丁堡市互设创意产业孵化中心并多次举办推介会，为双方创意产业合作搭建了良好平台。
The second letter C stands for concrete. China-Scotland business cooperation has deepened and produced concrete outcomes.
In 2018, trade between China and Scotland reached 3.66 billion pound.
Last year when attending an SCC event, I was asked when average households in China could have Angus beef on their tables. Last June, during the tenth China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue, I, on behalf of the Chinese Government, joined the British Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in signing the China-UK Beef Protocol. Today, I am happy to tell you that British beef will return to the Chinese market from the end of this year.
Last month, Glenfiddich was well received by Chinese consumers at the second China International Import Expo in Shanghai.
More and more Chinese companies are making investments in Scotland. The Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm, which has the investment of Beijing-based SDIC Power, was officially launched last August.
Shenzhen set up a creative industry incubation centre in Edinburgh and this was reciprocated by Edinburgh. The centres have already hosted a number of promotion events. They have become effective platforms for the cooperation between the creative industries of the two cities.
第三个字母“C”，即人文交流更加紧密（Close）。目前苏格兰共有5所孔子学院和44所孔子课堂，有4万多名学生学习中文，是世界上孔子学院和孔子课堂人均覆盖率最高的地区。去年5月，我曾经访问苏格兰最北端设得兰群岛耶尔岛，为全英最北端的孔子课堂揭牌。与此同时，1.3万名中国留学生在苏学习。苏格兰近20所大学同中国高校开展交流与合作，格拉斯哥大学与中国电子科技大学联合研究与创新中心今年正式揭牌。北京与爱丁堡之间开通首条直飞航线，极大便利了双方人员往来。2018年，来苏格兰旅游的中国游客超过20万，较5年前翻了一番。爱丁堡国际艺术节享誉全球，吸引众多中国顶尖艺术团体慕名参加。
The third letter C stands for close. China and Scotland have seen increasingly close cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
Across Scotland, there are five Confucius Institutes and 44 Confucius Classrooms; more than 40,000 students are learning the Chinese language. In proportion to its population, Scotland has more Confucius Institutes and Classrooms than any other parts of the world. In May last year, I unveiled a Confucius Classroom in the farthest north of Scotland, on the island of Yell, Shetland Islands.
At the same time, 13,000 Chinese students are studying here in Scotland. Some 20 Scottish universities have carried out exchanges and cooperation with Chinese universities. The University of Electronic Science and Technology of China and the University of Glasgow have set up a Joint Research and Innovation Centre. Earlier this year, this centre was officially launched.
The first direct flight Between Beijing and Edinburgh was opened, which greatly facilitated mutual visits between the people of China and the people of Scotland. In 2018, more than 200,000 Chinese tourists visited Scotland. That was twice the figure five years ago.
Moreover, the world-famous Edinburgh International Festival has attracted many top art groups from China.
上一篇：2019年12月2日外交部发言人华春莹主持例行记者会（中英对照）
下一篇：常驻维也纳联合国和其他国际组织代表王群大使出席“声援巴勒斯坦人民国际日”活动发言稿（中英对照）
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