风正一帆悬 再启新航程
Setting Sail on a New Voyage of China-Netherlands Relation
驻荷兰大使徐宏在到任招待会上的讲话
Remarks by Ambassador Xu Hong at His Welcome Reception
2019年6月17日
17 June 2019
尊敬的各位来宾，
女士们、先生们、朋友们：
大家晚上好！
感谢各位出席今天的招待会。
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,
Good evening! Goedenavond!
Thank you for attending today’s reception.
一转眼，我来到这里已经一个多月了。这段时间，许多人见到我都会问：你对荷兰印象如何？荷兰人对你可还好？
Time flies, and more than one month has passed since my arrival here. During this period, many people have asked me when we met: What is your impression of the Netherlands? Are the Dutch people friendly to you?
你可以想象，我的回答肯定是：完美！好的不能再好了！这里春光明媚、气候适宜、人民友善、生机勃勃。尤其是坐着金色马车去向国王陛下递交国书的场景，如梦似幻……
As you could imagine, my answer has always been: Perfect! It can’t be better! Here, I enjoyed the bright spring days, the pleasant weather, the hospitality of the people, and the thriving vitality of this country. And I have to mention the most memorable moment when the golden carriage took me to present my credentials to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander. It was like a dream…
当然这些都是真的。不过，这一个月来，我的最大感受是：忙！我很荣幸地与荷方同事一道，接待了中国国家副主席王岐山先生的成功来访；我还忙于拜会各位官员、各位使节、各界朋友，忙于给报纸写文章和接受采访，忙于照料来自中国的访问团组，忙于出席各种招待会……
However, all this is true, for sure. One word sums up my experience for the past month. That is “busy”! I had the honor to work together with the Dutch colleagues for the successful visit of Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan. I was also busy with visiting officials, ambassadors, and friends from all walks of life, busy with writing articles for newspapers and being interviewed, busy with receiving delegations from China, as well as attending various receptions...
我很享受这种忙碌。事实上，这就是中荷关系的一个缩影——形式丰富、内容充实、日新月异，同时也富有挑战。
I really enjoy this kind of busyness. In fact, it is an epitome of the Sino-Dutch relations - rich in form and content, fast-changing while challenging.
我不是第一次来到荷兰。早在30年前，我就开始来这里参加国际法会议。30年弹指一挥间，荷兰很好地守护了自己的传统，同时也在悄然发生着不少变化：30年前的风车依旧在转，30年前的建筑依然耸立，30年来郁金香依旧盛开，30年来奶酪更加让人着迷。但30年前，这里还很少见到现代建筑，也还没有大熊猫，更没有快速发展的现代科技给人民生活带来的种种便利。特别是，中荷两国关系和两国人民的合作与友谊，与30年前完全不可同日而语。如果说中荷有着长达400多年的交往史，荷兰人被称作“欧洲的中国人”，这些都是历史的话，2014年习近平主席访问荷兰，同威廉—亚历山大国王一起明确了中荷“开放务实的全面合作伙伴关系”，两国人民都从中得到以往无法想象的实实在在的收获。我们已经站在了一个新的更高的历史起点上。这也是为什么我对此次出使荷兰充满感恩之心和成功信心的理由。
This is not my first visit to the Netherlands. As early as 30 years ago, I already came here to attend conferences on International Law. In the past 30 years, the Netherlands has maintained its traditions well but has also changed quietly in many aspects. Today, the windmills I saw 30 years ago are still turning; the buildings I visited 30 years ago are still standing; the tulips I admired 30 years ago are again in full bloom; and the cheese I liked 30 years ago has become even more fascinating. However, 30 years ago, there were not so many modern buildings, and no giant pandas, not to mention the convenience the rapid development of modern technology has brought to people’s lives. Especially, the Sino-Dutch relations as well as the cooperation and friendship between the two peoples nowadays are completely different from those of 30 years ago. In retrospect, China and the Netherlands enjoy a history of more than 400 years of exchanges and communication. The Dutch people are sometimes even called “the Chinese in Europe”. In recent years, especially since 2014 when President Xi Jinping visited the Netherlands, and together with His Majesty King Willem-Alexander clearly defined Sino-Dutch relations as “an open and pragmatic partnership for comprehensive cooperation”, which has brought tangible benefits to the people of both countries. That was unimaginable in the past. We are standing at a new, higher historical starting point. This is the reason why I am full of gratitude for, and full of confidence in, my mission as the new ambassador of China to the Netherlands.
作为欧洲门户，远航船队是荷兰的象征之一。我们不妨把中荷两国关系也比作在大海里航行的轮船。这艘航船为什么能够劈波斩浪、不断前行？我认为至少有以下几个因素：
As the gateway to Europe, the powerful merchant fleet is one of the symbols of the Netherlands. We may compare Sino-Dutch relations to a ship sailing in the sea. Why is this ship able to cleave through the waves and keep moving forward? I think there are at least the following reasons:
首先， 数十年风云变幻，相互尊重、追求和平始终是我们的前行之“舵”。荷兰国际法先驱雨果.格老秀斯的最大贡献，在于提出了国家主权原则，指出国家之间的法律“所谋取的不是任何国家的个别利益，而是各国的共同利益。”中国在65年前首倡“互相尊重主权和领土完整、互不侵犯、互不干涉内政、平等互利、和平共处”五项原则，现在又提出推动构建人类命运共同体，也是要促进不同文明的国家之间和平、和谐、合作与发展。我们对国际公平、正义和人类进步事业的共同追求，为航船指明了方向。正因为如此，两国在应对气候变化和联合国维和进程等全球性问题上，开展了卓有成效的合作。所以，只要我们牢牢把准方向，不论遇到什么风浪冲击和激流险滩，我们就都能求同存异，齐心协力，破浪前行。
First of all, despite the vicissitudes of the times, mutual respect and the pursuit of peace have always been the “Compass” that guides us ahead. The greatest contribution of the Dutch international law pioneer Hugo Grotius lies in putting forward the principle of state sovereignty and pointing out that the laws between countries “do not seek the individual interests of any country, but the common interests of all countries.” Sixty-five years ago, China put forward the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, that is, “mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and cooperation for mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence”. Now, China is advocating the promotion of building of a community of shared future for mankind. This is also for the purpose of promoting peace, harmony, cooperation and development between countries of different civilizations. Our common pursuit of international fairness, justice and human progress has pointed out the direction for our ship. Based upon this, the two countries have carried out fruitful cooperation on global issues such as climate change and the UN peacekeeping process. Therefore, as long as we firmly master the course of our ship, we can always seek common ground while reserving differences and work together to break the waves, no matter what storms and torrents are encountered.
其次，数十年岁月变迁，勤劳勇敢、坚持不懈始终是我们的友谊之“锚”。正如荷兰国徽上镌刻的铭文所示，荷兰人凭借“坚持不懈”的民族性格与大海搏斗，围海造田，在一片低地、沼泽地上建起美丽的家园，锐意创新，打造了一大批世界级的高科技企业，成为欧盟最具竞争力的经济体之一。中国则凭着自力更生、艰苦创业的精神，从刚解放时期的一穷二白成为世界工厂，又在此基础上不断加大投入，从世界工厂变成全球最具活力的创新中心。我们取得了使7.8亿人脱贫等巨大成就，还成为带动全球经济增长的强劲引擎。中荷两个民族共同具有的上述坚韧品格和对美好生活的共同向往，是两国各项事业取得成就的力量源泉，也是连接两国友好关系的基因和纽带。
Secondly, despite the vicissitudes of the times, hard work, bravery and perseverance have always been the “anchor” of our friendship. As shown by the inscriptions engraved on the Dutch national emblem, the Dutch people struggled against the sea with the national character of “perseverance”. The Dutch people have built a field around the sea, have built a beautiful homeland on lowland and swamp, and are determined to innovate and created a large number of world-class high-tech companies, making the Netherlands one of the most competitive economies in the European Union. China, with the spirit of self-reliance and hard work, became a world factory from a country “poor and blank” just after liberation, and by continuously increasing its investment, has become the most dynamic innovation center in the world from the world factory. We have made great achievements including getting 780 million people out of poverty, and has become a powerful engine for global economic growth. The above-mentioned tenacity and aspirations for a better life shared by the peoples of China and the Netherlands are the driving force for the achievements of the two countries, and are also the genes and bonds that link the friendly relations between our two countries.
第三，数十年世事沉浮，开放包容、务实互利始终是我们的合作之“帆”。荷兰以贸易立国，是自由贸易的灯塔。中国实行改革开放政策以来，不断加大开放力度，推进国际经贸合作。30年前，中荷双边贸易额还不足10亿美元，去年则达到850多亿美元，荷兰成为中国在欧盟内的第二大贸易伙伴。目前，每周有90多班客货运航班往返于阿姆斯特丹与中国7大城市之间，两国开通多趟中欧班列，中国近半数赴欧深水货运航线选择鹿特丹港作为首站停靠港，中荷“一带一路”合作已成为亚欧互联互通和世界互联互通的重要组成部分。今年3月，荷兰ING银行成为首家与中国合资伙伴成立外资持股比超过50%、绝对持股的外国银行。此外，世界上最长的跨海大桥——中国港珠澳大桥和人类首次登陆月球背面的中国嫦娥四号卫星项目，都凝结着中荷双方科技团队的智慧和心血。可以说，尽管双方社会制度、文化传统和发展阶段不同，但彼此利益交融，互利共赢的理念已经深入人心。
Thirdly, despite the vicissitudes of the times, openness and inclusiveness, pragmatism and mutual benefit have always been the “sail” of our cooperation. For the Netherlands, trade is the foundation underlying all efforts to build the country. And the Netherlands has become a beacon of free trade. As for China, since the implementation of the reform and opening up policy, China has continuously increased its opening-up and promoted international economic and trade cooperation. Thirty years ago, our bilateral trade volume was less than 1 billion US dollars, whilst, it reached over 85 billion last year, making the Netherlands China’s second largest trade partner in EU. Nowadays, with over 90 cargo and passenger flights per week between Amsterdam and 7 major Chinese cities, several Sino-Euro freight trains between our two countries, and over half of the deep-water freight ships from China taking Rotterdam as the first stop, our cooperation under the “Belt and Road” Initiative is playing a more and more important role in Asia-Europe connectivity and global connectivity. This March, the Dutch ING Bank set up a joint venture bank with Beijing Bank, becoming the first foreign investor with over 50% ownership in a bank in China. Besides, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, and the first probe landing on the far side of the moon – the Chang’e-4 lunar landing exploration, have all drawn on experiences from Chinese and Dutch technical and science teams. With no doubt, while there are differences in our social systems, cultures and stages of development, our interests are intertwined, and the concept of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation has been deeply rooted in our hearts.
荷兰诗人彼尔德戴克说，“过去蕴含现在，现在预示将来。” 在世界多极化、经济全球化、文化多样化、社会信息化深入发展的时代，人类社会充满希望，同时新的挑战也层出不穷。中荷关系这艘大船如何拨开迷雾？又要驶向何方？
The Dutch poet Willem Bilderdijk once said, “In the past lies the present, and in the now, what will be.” In an era when multipolarization, economic globalization, cultural diversity and social informatization are undergoing in-depth development, human society is full of hope as well as challenges. How should the giant Sino-Dutch ship sail through the mist? And in which direction shall we navigate?
我们最近在这里听到一个说法叫做“平衡”。没错，一旦失去了平衡，就有翻船的危险。中国人也很讲究平衡。实际上，中国国名里的“中”字，其内在的含义，就有“中道”、“平衡”之意。但什么才是平衡？请允许我打个比方。中国人和荷兰人都喜欢骑自行车，我们都知道，自行车在静止不动时难以平衡，后退更加不行。只有往前进，才比较容易找到平衡，而且在前进中还要看清路况，不能横冲直撞。
One word is frequently mentioned in recent days in the Netherlands, and that is “balance”. Indeed, a ship will capsize without balance. Chinese people pay much attention to balance. In fact, the first character in the Chinese name of China, “zhong”, means the “middle path” or “balance”. But how should we understand “balance”? I have a good example to share. Both Chinese and Dutch people love riding bicycles. As we all know, the balance of a bike is hard to maintain when it’s immobile, not to mention going backward. Balance could only be maintained by going forward, with attention on the road to avoid crash.
在我看来，我们现在所遇到的问题和挑战，也是同样的道理。全球化遇到逆流也好，非传统安全威胁肆虐也好，新科技的应用引发关切也好，都是社会发展进步过程中产生的问题，对此，我们不能采取自我封闭、停滞不前、相互排斥甚至走回头路的办法，而必须秉持初心，与时俱进，向前看，往前走，通过不断前进和发展，来解决我们面临的问题，达到新的平衡。这样才能使我们这艘航船行稳致远。
It is the same situation when it comes to the problems and challenges that we encounter nowadays. The counter-current to globalization, the spread of non-traditional security threats and the concern aroused from the application of new technologies are all problems arising from a society moving forward. We could by no means solve these problems by self-enclosing, stagnating, repelling each other, or even moving backward. Instead, we should never forget why we started the journey in the first place and always keep pace with the times by looking ahead and moving forward. These problems could only be addressed through the process of development and a new balance could only be attained by moving forward. Only in this way can our ship sail steady afar.
我们要坚持平等对话和沟通协调，增进彼此之间的了解、互信和友谊，坚决抵制无端猜忌和蓄意抹黑；我们要坚持开放包容和务实合作，促进和保障两国人民间的正常交往，为双方企业提供公平、公正、非歧视的营商环境，坚决反对人为设限和政治打压；我们要坚持多边主义和自由贸易，坚定维护国际法的权威，坚决反对单边主义和保护主义；我们要坚持在国际事务中主持公道，伸张正义，携手应对全球性挑战，促进国际社会和平、安全和共同繁荣，坚决反对霸权主义和冷战思维。
We should enhance our mutual understanding, trust and friendship by means of equal dialogues, consultation and coordination, while firmly avoiding ungrounded suspicion and deliberate smear. We should uphold opening-up, inclusiveness and pragmatic cooperation, with a view to promoting and safeguarding bilateral exchanges and to provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for our companies, while firmly opposing deliberate restrictions or political assault. We should stick to multilateralism and free trade and safeguard the authority of international law, while firmly opposing unilateralism and protectionism. We should uphold fairness and justice in international affairs, jointly address global threats and promote global peace, security and common prosperity, and firmly oppose hegemony and cold war mentality.
女士们、先生们，
Ladies and gentlemen,
今年是中华人民共和国成立70周年。过去70年，见证了中国的自身发展和与世界分享发展红利，为全人类的进步事业作出不懈努力和重大贡献。今天，中国对外开放的大门正在越开越大，中荷关系面临新的发展机遇。习近平主席指出，“一个更加开放的中国，将同世界形成更加良性的互动，带来更加进步和繁荣的中国和世界”。无论国际风云如何变幻，中国都将坚持做好自己的事情。我们将扩大新一轮高水平对外开放，加强知识产权保护国际合作，更大规模增加商品和服务进口，更加有效实施国际宏观经济政策协调,为促进中外经贸合作、实现互利共赢创造更好的法治和政策环境。我们还将坚持“共商共建共享”原则，与有关国家一道推动“一带一路”建设迈向高质量发展，为各国合作发展开辟更广阔的空间，为构建人类命运共同体作出新的贡献。
The year of 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The past 70 years have witnessed China’s own development and its effort to share its development benefit with other countries, as well as the significant effort and contribution China has made to the cause of human progress. Today, China is opening up further to the world, bringing unprecedented opportunities to Sino-Dutch relations. President Xi Jinping pointed out that “an increasingly opening-up China will interact more positively with the world and thus bring greater progress and prosperity to itself and the world”. No matter how the international situation changes, China will always stay its due course. It will open up further to the world at a new high level, strengthen international cooperation on intellectual property rights protection, import more goods and services, and coordinate international macroeconomic policies more effectively. It will build up a better rule of law and policy environment to promote economic and trade cooperation and achieve win-win results with foreign countries. We will uphold the principle of “wide consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits” to attain high quality development in “Belt and Road” projects, providing greater platform for international cooperation and making greater contribution to building a community of shared future for mankind.
最后，我想再次感谢大家长期以来对中荷关系以及使馆工作的关心和支持，也要借此机会向我的前任们为发展中荷关系作出的杰出贡献表示敬意。我将把我与荷兰30年的美好缘分汇入中荷友好关系大发展的洪流之中，与各位一道，共同推动中荷关系这艘大船乘风破浪，驶向更加美好的未来。同时，我作为中国常驻禁止化学武器组织代表，还期待与各位同事一道，致力于维护《禁止化学武器公约》宗旨和目标，推动这一重要国际组织在维护国际和平和安全领域发挥应有的作用。
In conclusion, I’d like to thank you all once again for your support to Sino-Dutch relations and the work of our embassy. I’d also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to my predecessors for their excellent work in promoting our bilateral relations. I will converge all my 30 years of affections for the Netherlands into the long-lasting friendship between China and the Netherlands. Working together, we will navigate the great Sino-Dutch ship into a brilliant future, whatever wind and waves we may have to brave. At the same time, as China’s permanent representative to the OPCW, I look forward to working with all my colleagues to promote the principles and purposes of the Chemical Weapons Convention so that this important international organization can play its due role in safeguarding world peace and security.
我想用前些天参观斯宾诺莎故居时在该故居外墙上看到的一句话作为我致辞的结束语：“如果每个人都秉持理智，并且友善对待他人，那么这个世界就将成为人间的天堂。”
I’d like to end my speech with a sentence engraved on the wall of Spinoza Museum which I recently visited, “If all men are wise and treat each other well, the world would be a paradise.”
谢谢大家！
Thank you. Dank u wel.