英国女王在欢迎胡锦涛访英宴会上的演讲

英国女王在欢迎胡锦涛访英宴会上的演讲 Speech by The Queen at the State Banquet for the President of China 8 November 2005 11月8日，英国女王伊丽莎白二世在伦敦白金汉宫举行盛大欢迎宴会，热烈欢迎中国国家主席胡锦涛和夫人刘永清对英国进行国事访问。两国元首先后致辞，高度评价中英关系持续发展为两国人民带来的实实在在利益，一致表示不断发展中英全面战略伙伴关系是双方的共同愿望，也符合两国人民的根本利益。 这是宴会前，胡锦涛和夫人刘永清与女王夫妇合影。

Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen:

I take great pleasure in formally welcoming you and Madam Liu to Buckingham Palace on the occasion of your State Visit to the United Kingdom. You are certainly no stranger to the United Kingdom. This will be your second visit this year, and I also met Your Excellency when you visited as Vice-President in 2001.

It is now almost twenty years since I visited China. Since then China's development has caught the world's attention and admiration. It matters to all of us what kind of country China's people will build, what role they will play in the world of the twenty-first century, and how this will be perceived by others.

China's growth brings with it difficult challenges for you and your government, but also great opportunities. During her visit in September, The Princess Royal saw both the flagship cities of Beijing and Shanghai and the efforts of government and non-governmental organisations to reduce poverty in rural areas of Anhui and Gansu. I am delighted that China was able to join discussions earlier this year on poverty relief in Africa, sharing with the global community your own remarkable experience in this area.

In those twenty years, the world has changed too. When I visited China in 1986, we had no inkling that the Cold War was so close to its end and we knew little then of the significance of global warming. Now we are able to work together and in the international community to tackle problems of environmental protection and sustainable development.

Amidst all this change one constant theme has been the steady growth in the relationship between our two countries since we first established relations in 1954. The return of Hong Kong to China in 1997 was a significant milestone. We must continue to move forward in a partnership which remains comprehensive, strategic and productive.

We have seen excellent examples of this partnership this year, in your participation at the G8 Summit at Gleneagles, and at your meeting with the Prime Minister in Beijing, marking the Thirtieth Anniversary of EU-China relations.

I am pleased that so many young Chinese choose to study and gain work experience in the United Kingdom and that more Chinese tourists are able to come to this country. The Duke of York welcomed the first tour group in July and over one thousand have arrived since then. More and more British people now work, travel and study in China, where we have a dynamic trade and investment relationship with British companies creating jobs in your country and Chinese companies doing the same here. We welcome the growing opportunities presented by the opening up of China towards a market economy.