7月8日，《經(jīng)濟(jì)日報(bào)》刊發(fā)中國貿(mào)促會會長高燕署名文章《做中英經(jīng)貿(mào)人文交流橋梁紐帶》，全文如下：
做中英經(jīng)貿(mào)人文交流橋梁紐帶
去年，習(xí)近平主席兩次同英國首相約翰遜通電話，為兩國關(guān)系發(fā)展指明了方向。今年2月，李克強(qiáng)總理在英國48家集團(tuán)俱樂部“破冰者”2021新春慶?；顒由习l(fā)表視頻致辭，勉勵中英各界人士傳承和弘揚(yáng)“破冰者”精神。7月6日，李克強(qiáng)總理同英國工商界代表視頻對話會成功舉辦，給予兩國工商界推進(jìn)務(wù)實(shí)合作極大鼓舞和支持，為中英友好人士帶來殷切關(guān)懷和溫暖。
中英兩國都擁有悠久的歷史和燦爛的文化，是東西方文明的重要代表，兩國人民交往源遠(yuǎn)流長。上世紀(jì)50年代初，西方國家對新中國實(shí)行貿(mào)易封鎖之際，在周恩來總理等老一輩革命家的關(guān)心下，以杰克·佩里先生為代表的英國工商界有識之士，沖破重重阻礙來到中國，打破當(dāng)時(shí)的堅(jiān)冰，開啟了中英貿(mào)易的大門，也為兩國友好交往留下了寶貴的精神財(cái)富。半個(gè)多世紀(jì)以來，“破冰者”精神代代傳承，以英國48家集團(tuán)俱樂部、英中貿(mào)易協(xié)會為代表的新一代“破冰者”，繼續(xù)以滿腔熱情投入中英友好事業(yè)，長期致力于發(fā)展各領(lǐng)域中英合作，為發(fā)展中英友好關(guān)系做了大量工作。在此過程中，中國貿(mào)促會與英中貿(mào)易協(xié)會、英國48家集團(tuán)俱樂部等保持密切合作，付出巨大努力，克服困難、沖破阻力，同舟共濟(jì)、守望相助，幫助和支持兩國企業(yè)穩(wěn)步發(fā)展，帶領(lǐng)和組織工商界積極擔(dān)當(dāng)，多次成功組織一系列具有重要影響的活動。在中國貿(mào)促會的積極推薦下，現(xiàn)任英國48家集團(tuán)俱樂部主席、杰克·佩里之子斯蒂芬·佩里先生于2018年榮獲“中國改革友誼獎?wù)隆?；國?wù)院副總理胡春華于2019年會見英中貿(mào)易協(xié)會代表團(tuán)，并在2020年復(fù)信斯蒂芬·佩里，鼓勵英國工商界為中英經(jīng)貿(mào)交流作出更大貢獻(xiàn)。
作為中英經(jīng)貿(mào)合作的推動者和受益者，兩國工商界共同見證了中英經(jīng)貿(mào)關(guān)系的飛速發(fā)展。過去十多年來，中英貨物貿(mào)易額翻了一番，英國對華出口增長約20倍，中國成為英國第三大貨物出口市場；中國對英投資增長約20倍，英國成為中國在歐洲第二大投資目的地國，欣克利角C核電站作為中國在歐洲最大單筆投資，成為中英合作旗艦項(xiàng)目；中英金融合作開創(chuàng)諸多“第一”：英國第一個(gè)發(fā)人民幣主權(quán)債券，第一個(gè)申請加入亞投行；“滬倫通”正式開通，多家中資企業(yè)在倫交所上市，開創(chuàng)中國與境外資本市場互聯(lián)互通先河；中英“一帶一路”合作方興未艾，雙方簽署第三方市場合作協(xié)議，共同致力于推進(jìn)“一帶一路”高質(zhì)量發(fā)展。去年，面對百年變局和世紀(jì)疫情交織疊加，中英雙邊貿(mào)易額逆勢增長，今年第一季度中國躍升為英國最大貨物貿(mào)易伙伴，中國連續(xù)四個(gè)季度成為英國最大進(jìn)口來源國，展現(xiàn)出中英經(jīng)貿(mào)關(guān)系的韌性和潛力。
當(dāng)前，中英兩國各自正經(jīng)歷著深刻變革。中國正處于實(shí)現(xiàn)中華民族偉大復(fù)興的關(guān)鍵時(shí)期，今年起，開始實(shí)施“十四五”規(guī)劃，開啟全面建設(shè)社會主義現(xiàn)代化國家新征程，正在加快構(gòu)建新發(fā)展格局，著力推動規(guī)則、規(guī)制、管理、標(biāo)準(zhǔn)等制度型開放，打造市場化、法治化、國際化營商環(huán)境，激發(fā)各類市場主體活力。同時(shí)，英國也進(jìn)入打造“全球化英國”和拓展全球合作伙伴的新階段，兩國共同面對新冠肺炎疫情、氣候變化等全球性挑戰(zhàn)。歷史充分證明，中英作為聯(lián)合國安理會常任理事國和具有重要國際影響的國家，雙方加強(qiáng)交流與合作，順乎時(shí)代潮流，符合兩國利益，也有利于促進(jìn)世界和平、穩(wěn)定、繁榮。新形勢下，中英雙方在氣候變化、金融及現(xiàn)代服務(wù)業(yè)、對非三方合作等諸多領(lǐng)域合作潛力大、互補(bǔ)性強(qiáng)，中英工商界迎來發(fā)展良機(jī)。
中國貿(mào)促會連接政企、銜接內(nèi)外、對接供需，是中外工商界開展經(jīng)貿(mào)交往的重要橋梁紐帶，也是推動國內(nèi)大循環(huán)高效暢通、國內(nèi)國際雙循環(huán)相互促進(jìn)的重要力量。我們將繼續(xù)與英中貿(mào)易協(xié)會、英國48家集團(tuán)俱樂部等機(jī)構(gòu)一道，傳承和弘揚(yáng)“破冰者”精神，保持推動友誼與發(fā)展的初心，乘勢而上、順勢而為：
鼓勵“破冰者”精神薪火相傳，充分發(fā)揮各自渠道和資源優(yōu)勢，以更大力度、更實(shí)舉措，不斷充實(shí)和完善合作機(jī)制，開展好英中貿(mào)易協(xié)會發(fā)起的“連接中國”“在線訪華”等交流項(xiàng)目，支持新一代“青年破冰者”開展多元交流活動，講好中英合作共贏和中英友好往來故事，鋪設(shè)更多的交往之路，架起更好的合作之橋，打造更實(shí)的友誼之基，為推動中英關(guān)系健康發(fā)展、增進(jìn)兩國人民友誼積蓄正能量。
堅(jiān)持互利共贏合作導(dǎo)向，推動雙方工商界在貿(mào)易投資、金融服務(wù)、醫(yī)療衛(wèi)生、第三方市場等領(lǐng)域廣泛開展互利合作，切實(shí)增強(qiáng)雙方企業(yè)的受惠面和獲得感，不斷擴(kuò)大中英務(wù)實(shí)合作的積極面，增強(qiáng)中英關(guān)系穩(wěn)定性。
不斷賦予“破冰者”精神新的時(shí)代內(nèi)涵，致力于打破單邊主義和保護(hù)主義的“堅(jiān)冰”，高舉多邊主義和自由貿(mào)易的旗幟，支持以世貿(mào)組織為核心，以規(guī)則為基礎(chǔ)，非歧視、開放、包容和透明的多邊貿(mào)易體制，為促進(jìn)世界經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇增長、建設(shè)開放型世界經(jīng)濟(jì)、構(gòu)建人類命運(yùn)共同體貢獻(xiàn)中英工商界智慧和力量。
7月8日，中國貿(mào)促會會長高燕在《中國日報(bào)》就推動中英經(jīng)貿(mào)人文交流發(fā)表英文署名文章，全文如下：
China Daily:'Icebreakers' key to Sino-UK business ties
GaoYan
Last year, President Xi Jinping had two telephone conversations with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and charted the course for further advancing Sino-British relations. In February 2021, Premier Li Keqiang delivered a speech, via video link, at a New Year banquet held by the United Kingdom's 48 Group Club, encouraging Chinese and British peoples to strengthen the "icebreaker" spirit.
And on July 6, Premier Li and British business representatives held a successful dialogue, through video link, which greatly encouraged and supported Chinese and British business communities to advance practical cooperation, reflecting his eagerness to champion Sino-British friendship.
With long histories and splendid cultures, China and the UK are important representatives of Eastern and Western civilizations. Exchanges between the peoples of the two countries go back a long time in history. At the beginning of the 1950s, when Western countries imposed embargo on trade with China, visionary British businessmen led by Jack Perry overcame many obstacles to make an ice-breaking trip to China, with the support of the older generation of revolutionaries, including then Premier Zhou Enlai. They not only "broke the ice" to trade with New China, but also left us with a rich heritage of China-UK friendship and exchanges.
The "ice-breaking" spirit has been carried forward from generation to generation for more than half a century. A new generation of "icebreakers" represented by the 48 Group Club and China-Britain Business Council is committed to working－with enthusiasm and passion－to strengthen China-UK friendship and cooperation in all areas.
In this process, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade has maintained close cooperation with the CBBC and the 48 Group Club, making greater efforts to strengthen unity and overcome the difficulties and obstacles to help each other, assisting Chinese and British enterprises to stabilize development, leading business communities to shoulder more responsibilities, and organizing a series of events of great significance.
Recommended by the CCPIT, Stephen Perry, Chairman of the 48 Group Club and son of Jack Perry, was awarded the China Reform and Friendship Medal in 2018. In 2019, Hu Chunhua, vice-premier of the State Council, China's Cabinet, met with the CBBC delegation and, in response to Stephen Perry's correspondence in 2020, encouraged the British business community to make greater contributions to China-UK business exchanges.
Chinese and British business communities have contributed to and benefited from China-UK business cooperation and witnessed the rapid growth of China-UK business relations. For more than a decade, China-UK trade in goods has doubled, and British exports to China have increased by about 20 times. China has become the third-largest export market for British goods while China's investment in the UK has increased by about 20 times. Also, the UK has become the second-largest destination for Chinese investment in Europe, with the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant being China's single-largest investment in Europe, and a flagship project of China-UK cooperation.
Besides, financial cooperation between China and the UK has created many "firsts": the UK is the first country to issue renminbi sovereign bonds and the first to apply to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The Shanghai London Stock Connect for the first time connected the Chinese capital market with a foreign one, enabling many Chinese companies to be listed in London.
China-UK cooperation in the Belt and Road Initiative is still gathering momentum as the two countries have signed agreements on third-party market cooperation committed to high-quality development of the initiative.
Moreover, China-UK bilateral trade grew against all odds in 2020, a year marked by the combined forces of changes and a pandemic, both unseen in a century. In the first quarter of 2021, China became the largest goods trading partner of the UK, and the largest source of imports for the UK for four consecutive quarters, reflecting the resilience and potential of China-UK business relations.
Both China and the UK are undergoing a profound transformation. China is in a critical period of achieving national rejuvenation. This year marks the first year of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) and China has embarked on a new journey of building a great modern socialist country in all respects. It is also fostering a new development paradigm at a faster pace, with the focus on institutional opening-up that covers rules, regulations, management and standards.
China will continue efforts to foster a business environment that is based on market principles, governed by law and is up to international standards, so as to motivate all types of market players. At the same time, the UK has entered a new stage of delivering "Global Britain" and expanding global partnerships.
Our two countries also face the global challenges of COVID-19 and climate change. History shows that closer exchanges and cooperation between China and the UK, both permanent members of the UN Security Council and countries with global influence, conform to the trend of the times, serve the interests of both sides, and contribute to world peace, stability and prosperity. Under the new circumstances, China-UK cooperation has great potential and the two economies have strong complementarity in areas such as climate change, finance and modern services, as well as third-party cooperation with Africa, in which Chinese and British business communities will find development opportunities.
Connecting the Chinese government and businesses, the domestic and foreign market players, and supply and demand, the CCPIT is not only a critical bridge for business exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and foreign business communities, but also an engine for efficient and smooth domestic circulation and domestic and international circulations that reinforce each other. The CCPIT will continue to work with the CBBC and the 48 Group Club to carry forward the "ice-breaking" spirit while keeping the original aspiration of promoting friendship and development.
We will build on the momentum and adapt to changes in the following areas: we will nurture the "ice-breaking" spirit among future generations and give full play to our respective strengths in different channels and resources. Stronger and more practical measures will be taken to enrich and improve the cooperation mechanism by implementing the exchange programs of "China Link and Virtual Visit" launched by the CBBC. We will support a new generation of "young icebreakers" for diversified exchanges and activities, sharing good stories of win-win cooperation and friendly exchanges between the two countries, so as to lay a solid foundation for exchange, cooperation and friendship, contribute to the healthy development of China-UK relations, and build up momentum for friendship between the two peoples.
We will uphold mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation, and support extensive business collaboration of the two countries in trade and investment, financial services, medical treatment and healthcare, and third-party market, so that Chinese and British companies can enjoy more substantial benefits and gather added momentum to boost China-UK practical cooperation and stabilize bilateral relations.
We will constantly strengthen the "ice-breaking" spirit. And we are committed to breaking the "ice" of unilateralism and protectionism while upholding multilateralism and free trade in support of the rules-based, non-discriminatory, open, inclusive and transparent multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization as its core. In this way, the Chinese and British business communities will contribute their wisdom and strength to global economic recovery and growth and an open world economy, and help build a community with a shared future for mankind.
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