2019年2月18日,英国主流大报《每日电讯报》分别以《中国经济发展依然强劲,将给世界带来更多机遇》、《中国在实现自身发展的同时拥抱世界》为题,在网络版和纸质版发表刘晓明大使署名文章。全文如下:
On 18 February, the Daily Telegraph published a signed article by Ambassador Liu Xiaoming entitled “China is pursuing development at home while embracing the world”. The newspaper’s website also published the article under the title “China will bring further opportunities to the world as its economy remains robust”. The full text is as follows:
中国在实现自身发展的同时拥抱世界
China Is Pursuing Development at Home While Embracing the World
国际社会一直高度关注中国经济,有唱响的,也有唱衰的。有人渲染中美“贸易战”严重冲击中国经济,有人担心中国经济减速将拖累世界经济,还有人声称中国改革开放步伐出现停滞甚至倒退。那么,中国经济形势到底怎么样?中国经济对世界意味着什么?我想从四个方面来回答这两个问题。
The Chinese economy has been drawing global attention. Some talk it up, but others talk it down, citing the negative impact of a China-US “trade war”, fanning fears that China’s slowdown might drag down world growth, and claiming that China’s reform and opening-up have stopped or even back-pedaled.
What, then, is the real situation? What does this mean to the world? Let me answer these two questions from the following four perspectives.
首先,中国经济中高速增长势头依然强劲。2018年中国国内生产总值(GDP)突破13.6万亿美元,稳居世界第二;经济增速为6.6%,较往年有所降低,但仍高于6.5%的预定目标,保持在合理区间。2018年中国货物进出口同比增长9.7%,贸易额超过4.5万亿美元,稳居全球榜首。在中美经贸摩擦持续背景下,2018年中美两国货物贸易额超过6300亿美元,同比增长8.5%,凸显了中美经贸合作的巨大潜力与良好韧性。
First, China’s economy is growing at a medium-to-high speed but remains robust. As the world’s second-largest economy, China’s GDP topped $13.6 trillion (£10.5 trillion) in 2018. Its 6.6 per cent growth rate, slightly slower than the previous year, was nonetheless higher than the 6.5 per cent target and well within the anticipated range. China remains the world’s biggest trader in goods, achieving a 9.7 per cent increase in 2018 and more than $4.5 trillion in total value. Despite some frictions, China-US trade and economic cooperation show enormous potential and resilience. Trade in goods between the two countries topped $630 billion in 2018, an increase of 8.5 per cent year on year.
其次,中国经济增长“含金量”不断提升。目前中国经济正从高速度增长向高质量发展转型,发展效益取得巨大提升。中国经济结构进一步优化,消费对经济增长贡献率达76.2%。中国经济发展新动能不断壮大,2018年日均新设企业超过1.8万户,新产业、新产品、新业态、新模式不断涌现,网上零售额增长超过20%。中国经济增长更加绿色,2018年万元人民币GDP能耗比去年下降3.1%,清洁能源消费量占能源消费总量比重比去年提高约1.3%,全国338个地级及以上城市PM2.5浓度下降9.3%。中国坚持去产能,2018年超额完成全年压缩钢铁产能3000万吨以上的目标任务,接近英国、法国、比利时2017年钢铁产能总和。
Second, the shift from high-speed to high-quality growth has greatly improved the efficiency of growth in China. The figures for 2018 show an optimising economic structure: consumption expenditure, for example, contributed 76.2 per cent to economic growth. New growth engines represented by new industries, products and business models keep emerging, with an average of more than 18,000 new enterprises established every day and online retail sales increasing by more than 20 per cent. Growth has become greener as energy consumption per unit GDP fell by 3.1 per cent, the share of clean energy in total energy consumption rose by 1.3 per cent and PM2.5 particulate concentration in 338 above-prefecture urban areas dropped by 9.3 per cent. China has also reduced industrial capacity, including cutting more than 30 million tons of steel capacity in 2018, which is close to the steel capacity of the UK, France and Belgium combined in 2017.
第三,中国经济增长对世界贡献巨大。中国连续多年是世界经济增长最大贡献者,2018年经济增速在世界前五大经济体中仍高居首位,对全球增长贡献率接近30%。“一带一路”倡议成为中国发展惠及各方的公共产品。截至2018年,中国在“一带一路”沿线国家累计投资289亿美元,上交东道国税收20亿美元,为当地创造就业岗位24.4万个。改革开放40年来,中国7亿多贫困人口成功脱贫,去年又有1000万人脱贫,中国对全球减贫的贡献达70%以上。
Third, China is a key contributor to the world. As the biggest engine for global growth for many years, China was the fastest growing among the top five economies in 2018 and contributed nearly 30 per cent to global growth. Through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China has shared the benefits of its development. By the end of 2018, China had invested $28.9 billion in countries along the BRI routes, paid $2 billion in tax to host countries, and created 244,000 jobs locally. At home, after 40 years of reform and opening-up, China has lifted more than 700 million people out of poverty, plus 10 million last year, contributing more than 70 per cent to the world’s total poverty reduction.
第四,中国经济未来还将给世界带来更多机遇。中国有近14亿人口,中等收入群体已超过4亿。未来随着居民收入不断增加,消费环境不断改善,消费潜力还将进一步释放,中国将为包括来自英国在内的各国优质产品和服务提供广阔市场和机遇。目前中国正逐步放宽或取消银行、保险、证券、汽车、船舶等行业外资股比限制,为国际社会共享中国经济红利进一步创造有利条件。人们常说,资本会用脚投票。在全球跨境投资大幅下滑背景下,中国去年吸引外资1350亿美元,逆势增长3%,这充分展示了国际社会对中国经济的信心。最近英国电信公司获得首个中国全国性牌照,这不仅显示中英务实合作的新成果,更说明中国进一步开放给世界带来的新机遇。
Fourth, China will bring more opportunities to the world in the future. With a population of close to 1.4 billion, including 400 million middle-income earners, China will be a source of tremendous spending power, a broad market with huge opportunities for products and services from other countries, including the UK. In sectors such as banking, insurance, securities, auto manufacturing and ship building, China is lifting or easing restrictions on foreign ownership in joint venture firms, which is an invitation to share in China’s development benefits. China is also opening its doors wider to the outside world. The latest beneficiary is BT, which became the first overseas telecoms operator to secure nationwide telecommunications licenses in China. Capital votes with its feet. Last year, despite the steep drop in global foreign direct investment, foreign investment flowing into China totalled $135 billion, up by 3 per cent. This speaks volumes about international confidence in the Chinese economy.
中国人常说:“达己达人,天下为公”。近年来,全球保护主义、单边主义抬头,民粹主义蔓延,世界经济面临诸多不确定因素。但越是困难,越要坚定信心、勇于担当,越要携手合作、共克时艰。中国敞开胸怀、拥抱世界的决心不会有任何动摇,继续推动建设开放型世界经济的步伐不会停止。中国将在实现自身发展的同时,为促进世界各国共同繁荣做出更大贡献。
The Chinese people believe that to establish ourselves, we should help others establish themselves because the world is one community. Amid surging protectionism, unilateralism and populism, the world economy is faced with many uncertainties. But the more difficulties we encounter, the more important it is that we should shore up confidence, take the courage to shoulder our responsibilities and join hands to overcome the difficulties.
China will continue pursuing development at home and, at the same time, embrace the world with open arms and join hands with global partners to build an open world economy, so as to make a greater contribution to the common prosperity of all countries.译学堂