2019年2月26日，英国主流大报《卫报》刊登驻英国大使刘晓明署名文章《“炮舰外交”只会损害中英关系》。全文如下：

On 26 February 2019, The Guardian published a signed article by Ambassador Liu Xiaoming entitled “Gunboat diplomacy can only harm Britain’s relationship with China”. The full text is as follows:

“炮舰外交”只会损害中英关系

Gunboat Diplomacy Can Only Harm Britain’s Relationship with China

近来，个别英国政客又在炒作所谓“中国威胁论”，与英国主流社会主张“同中国发展强有力和建设性关系”很不协调。如何看待和应对这些干扰中英关系的噪音，我不由地联想到我在伦敦经常观看的高水平交响乐演出，每次我都被交响曲的和谐共鸣和乐队的完美协作所感染。中英关系也犹如一首交响曲，只有中英双方紧密配合，排除干扰和噪音，才能演奏出美妙精彩的乐章。

A certain British politician’s hyping up of the “China threat” in a recent speech struck a discordant note with the mainstream view in the UK that the country has a strong and constructive relationship with China. It has led me to think about how much could be learned from the world-class concerts by London’s leading symphony orchestra that I have attended, the beauty of which comes from the harmony of various sounds and the coordination between the players. If the China-UK relationship were compared to a symphony, its success would depend on close coordination between the two countries and a firm resistance to interruptions and noises.

首先，要奏响互尊互信的正音，不要敌视对抗的噪音。今年是中英建立代办级外交关系65周年。回顾过去65年，中英关系走过的路并不平坦。只要双方相互尊重、平等相待，中英关系就向前发展、实现飞跃；反之，就遭遇逆风甚至倒退。热战、冷战早已成为“过去式”，但冷战思维的“幽灵”和“炮舰外交”的“阴魂”在某些人身上仍挥之不去，他们不时跳出来干扰中英关系的发展。对此，中英双方应共同抵制。我们应着眼大视野、大格局和大趋势，坚持视彼此发展为机遇而非挑战更非威胁，相互尊重主权和领土完整，尊重彼此核心利益和重大关切，不做损害对方核心利益和破坏双方战略互信的事情，妥善处理分歧，不断扩大战略共识，确保中英关系始终沿着正确的方向前进。

In this symphony, China and the UK rely on mutual respect and trust to keep us in tune, and keep out the noise of enmity and confrontation.

This year marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of a China-UK diplomatic relationship at the level of chargé d’affaires. The past 65 years have not been all plain sailing: when there was mutual respect and equality, the bilateral relationship leapt forward. Otherwise, the relationship has had to battle against strong headwinds, or even back-pedal. In an age when hot and cold wars should be long gone, resurrecting the cold war and gunboat diplomacy from the grave, as this politician did, was anachronistic and risks disrupting the progress of China-UK relations.

Both countries must resist this disruption and keep the larger picture in mind. To do that, they need to view each other’s development as an opportunity rather than a challenge, still less a threat. In particular, we should respect each other’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, core interests and major concerns; we should build mutual trust, expand strategic consensus and handle differences properly so as to ensure that the China-UK relationship develops in the right direction.

第二，要奏响互利互惠的和音，不要零和博弈的杂音。中英务实合作从未像今天这样全面深入，双方利益也从未像今天这样紧密交融。去年初梅首相访华和首届中国国际进口博览会期间，中英双方签署约110亿英镑的商业合同。中国是英国在欧盟外第二大贸易伙伴，2018年中英贸易额首次超过800亿美元大关，英国对华出口同比增长6.9%，远高于英国GDP的增长，中国依然是英国出口增长最快的市场。过去5年中国对英投资超过了前30年总和，累计超过200亿美元，并且依然保持强劲增长势头。两国人民之间的往来也越来越密切，仅去年一年伦敦就增加7条直达中国城市的新航线，现在中英之间的航班已增至每周168班，每年人员往来达150万人次。展望未来，中国进一步深化改革、扩大开放必将释放出更大红利，也将为中英合作带来更多机遇。我们欢迎英方出席今年在中国举行的第二届“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛和第二届中国国际进口博览会。我还想强调的是，开放、创新、包容是英国闪亮的国际名片，希望英方继续为包括华为在内的中国企业创造公平、透明、非歧视的营商环境，为“全球化英国”赢得更多尊重、信任与喝彩。

In the symphony of these relations, mutual benefit, not the pursuit of a zero-sum game, creates consonance. China-UK cooperation has never been deeper and more extensive, and the interests of the two countries have never been more intertwined. This is not only reflected by the £11bn contracts signed during Prime Minister Theresa May’s visit to China early last year and the first China International Import Expo. It is also reinforced by the fact that China is the fastest-growing market for UK exports and UK’s second largest trading partner outside the EU.

Last year, our bilateral trade totalled more than $80bn and UK exports to China increased by 6.9%, much higher than its GDP growth rate. Chinese investment in the UK tops $20bn now and maintains a robust growth momentum, with Chinese companies having invested more over the past five years than the previous 30 years.

The bond between the Chinese and British people has never been closer. With the opening of seven new direct flight routes between London and Chinese cities last year, the total number of flights linking the two countries increased to 168 a week, facilitating 1.5m mutual visits every year.

Going forward, deeper reform and further opening-up in China will create more opportunities for China-UK cooperation, including the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and the second China International Import Expo to be held in China this year. An open, innovative and inclusive UK is an internationally recognised brand name, and I hope that it will continue to provide a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies, including Huawei. This will win more respect, trust and cheers for a global Britain.

第三，要奏响互促互鉴的强音，不要僵化狭隘的浊音。中英同为联合国安理会常任理事国，都是有重要影响的大国，都倡导多边主义、支持自由贸易，都主张维护基于规则的国际贸易体系。在当前形势下，两国尤应展现大国责任与担当，共同反对单边主义和保护主义，引领构建开放型世界经济；应对气候变化、恐怖主义、网络安全、野生动植物保护等全球性挑战，推动全球治理体系变革；促进文明交流互鉴，推动构建人类命运共同体。我希望并相信，英国能以独立、理性、务实的态度，秉持合作共赢的时代精神，与中方携手努力，共同开创世界更加美好的未来。

The symphony of China-UK relations should also play a rising crescendo of mutual learning and cooperation, and reject the chaotic disruption of rigidity and narrow-mindedness. Both China and the UK support multilateralism, free trade and rule-based international trade system. Both are permanent members of the UN security council and are countries with global influence. We have a responsibility to oppose unilateralism and protectionism, and build an open world economy. We should deliver our consensus on addressing global challenges such as climate change, terrorism, cybersecurity and wildlife protection, and promoting reform of the global governance system. We should enhance exchanges and mutual learning between different civilisations with a view to building a community with a shared future for mankind. I hope and believe that an independent, rationally minded and down-to-earth UK will work with China in the spirit of win-win cooperation to create a better future for our two countries and the rest of the world.

当今世界正经历百年未有之大变局，健康稳定、良性互动、合作共赢的中英关系不仅符合中英两国和两国人民的共同利益，也将为世界和平与发展做出积极贡献。我相信，只要中英双方以战略眼光、政治智慧和创新精神，把握机遇，排除干扰，就一定能奏响中英关系“黄金时代”和谐共生、和睦共融、合作共赢的交响曲。

Amid profound changes of a kind the world has not seen in a century, a sound, stable, mutually reinforcing and mutually beneficial China-UK relationship is not only in the interests of the two countries and their people, but also a contribution to world peace and development. China and the UK have the strategic vision, political wisdom and creative spirit to seize opportunities, resist disruptions and create a China-UK golden era: a symphony both beautiful and harmonious.