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:

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。文章全文如下：

EU and China Should Join Hands on Free Trade

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

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.

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。

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.

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。

China and Europe have not only gained from but also helped to create and build this system. They should therefore should take the lead in upholding multilateralism, free trade and the rules-based international order, and opposing protectionism and unilateralism. "Where light inches forward, darkness retreats." Conversely, indulging in or yielding to the disruption of putting oneself before international order and its rules will only surrender the multilateral trade regime to the darkness of long night. It is therefore reassuring that at the 20th China-EU Summit held in July, both China and the European Union sent a clear message of upholding multilateralism and existing World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, and opposing protectionism and unilateralism. An open, inclusive, transparent and non-discriminatory multilateral trade regime with the WTO at its core is in the common interests of not only China and Europe but also the whole world.

第二，中欧都是国际多边贸易体系的建设者。维护基于规则的国际秩序，是中欧的共同愿望。中欧作为国际多边贸易体系的积极建设者，在维护自由贸易、多边主义等方面有着广泛共识，我们应当走在反对贸易保护主义和单边主义的最前沿。习近平主席说，“光明前进一分，黑暗便后退一分。”如果一味纵容或迁就某些国家为了“自己优先”而扰乱秩序、背弃规则的行为，那么国际多边贸易体系将深陷黑暗长夜。不久前，中国欧盟第二十次领导人会晤成功举行，中欧双方释放了坚持多边主义、遵守现行世贸规则的明确信号，旗帜鲜明地表态反对贸易保护主义与单边主义。中欧以实际行动维护好以世贸组织为核心，透明、非歧视、开放和包容的多边贸易体系，符合中欧及国际社会共同利益。

Of course, the international trade regime needs to be reformed in accordance with the changing times. So does the WTO. Though not perfect, the WTO remains the most effective mechanism for multilateral trade ever established. It has the support of the majority of countries because it is rules-based, aims to be equitable and pursues win-win outcomes as its goal. The reform of the WTO could not be done overnight. Instead, the reform measures need to be rolled out gradually on the basis of consultation. China and Europe have actively championed reform in the WTO, having agreed to engage in co-operation and pledged to set up a joint working group on reform. At home, China will stay committed to deeper reform and further opening-up, and take concrete actions to make globalisation more open, inclusive, balanced and win-win.

第三，中欧都是国际多边贸易体系的改革者。时移世易，改革永远在路上，国际贸易体系也不例外。世贸组织并不完美，确实需要改革，但它仍是当前最有效的多边贸易机制，其“以规则为基础，以公平为导向，以共赢为目标”的原则得到了绝大多数国家的支持。世贸组织改革不可能一蹴而就，只能在加强协商的基础上循序渐进推动。中欧作为改革的积极倡导者，已就世贸组织改革开展合作达成一致，并承诺建立联合工作组。中国将继续坚定不移深化国内改革和扩大对外开放，以实际行动推动经济全球化朝着更加开放、包容、普惠、平衡、共赢的方向发展。

Those who see the trend are wise and those who seize the trend will win. Safeguarding the rule-based multilateral trade regime is in keeping with the trend of the times and in the interests of the whole world. China and Europe should join hands to follow this trend, implement the outcomes of the China-EU Summit, and contribute to the world's prosperity and development.

察势者智，驭势者赢。当前形势下，中欧共同维护国际多边贸易体系，功在双方，利在世界。我相信，中欧将审时度势，落实好双方领导人会晤成果，携手捍卫以规则为基础的国际多边贸易体系，共同为世界繁荣与发展贡献力量。