难忘英伦十一载

2021新年伊始，万象更新，孕育着新机遇，也承载着新希望。我即将卸任中国驻英国大使。在我启程回国前夕，回首出使英国的近4千个日日夜夜，不禁百感交集、思绪万千。

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.

     我是新中国第11任驻英国大使，持节英伦11年，成为迄今中英关系史上任期最长的驻英使节，也是中国历史上任职时间最长的驻外大使。英国不仅是我47年外交生涯的最长一站，也是最后一站，我对此备感幸运和珍惜。借此机会，我谨向所有为我履职提供支持的英国朋友表示衷心感谢！

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，我遍访英伦各地，与各界人士广泛交流，深入探讨，推动合作。伦敦奥运会的竞技英姿，议会大厦的悦耳钟声，泰晤士河边的迎新烟火，诺丁汉大学和哈德斯菲尔德大学的庄重典礼，英国小朋友与大熊猫甜甜和阳光互动的萌趣笑脸…所有这些在英国工作生活的点点滴滴，所有英国朋友的深情厚谊都令人难以忘怀。

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，我有幸见证并参与了中英领导人的互访。特别是2015年习近平主席对英成功国事访问，开启了中英关系“黄金时代”，突显了两国关系的战略性、务实性、包容性和全球性，在中英关系发展史上留下浓墨重彩的一笔。我还曾接待温家宝总理、李克强总理访英，陪同英国首相卡梅伦、梅以及威廉王子等访华，多次参加两国高层对话，推动双方加强沟通、增进互信、明确发展方向、推进互利合作。

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，中英经贸、人文等各领域务实合作硕果累累。两国货物贸易额从2010年的501亿美元跃至2020年的923亿美元，中国对英投资和英国对华出口分别增长近20倍。在英中国留学生从10余万增至22万，年度人员往来由100万增至200多万，都翻了一番。中英都是具有国际影响的大国，两国合作广度和深度持续拓展。特别是面对世纪疫情，两国守望相助、互施援手、共克时艰，积极加强防控经验交流和疫苗药物研发合作，共同推动国际抗疫合作，进一步深化了两国人民的友好情谊。至今，北爱尔兰米尔本小学孔子课堂合唱团倾情演唱的《让世界充满爱》旋律仍不时回荡在我的耳边。

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年里还有一件大事是中国驻英大使馆购置了新馆舍。1877年，波特兰大街49号成为中国历史上第一个驻外外交机构所在地。140多年后的今天，原英国皇家造币厂成为中国驻英大使馆的新馆址。这个“世纪工程”，将伴着川流不息的泰晤士河，继续见证中英关系在新世纪的发展。

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.

诚然，11年来，中英关系并非一帆风顺。中英两国历史文化、社会制度、发展阶段不同，在一些问题上难免存在分歧。重要的是如何妥善处理这些分歧。回顾中英建立大使级外交关系以来交往的历史与实践，最重要的一条经验就是，只要国际法和国际关系基本准则得到遵守，中英关系就向前发展；反之则遭遇挫折，甚至倒退。我衷心希望中英双方牢记历史经验，坚持相互尊重，打造超越社会制度和意识形态差异的双边关系，开展互利、共赢的合作，更好造福两国人民和世界。

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.

我的使英使命虽然即将结束，但中英友好的事业没有休止符。记得英国军歌中有一句名言：“老兵可以退役，但精神永不谢幕”。我会继续关注和支持中英关系，并坚信，在两国各界人士的共同呵护下，中英关系必将经受严冬酷寒的考验，早日迎来春暖花开！

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.