2018年CRI Belt and Road Cooperation to Highlight Theresa May's China Visit

 

Cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative will be among the highlights of UK Prime Minister Theresa May's upcoming visit to China, said Liu Xiaoming, China's Ambassador to the UK. 2018 will see the China-proposed Initiative making more solid progress, the Ambassador told reporters in a recent interview. CRI's London correspondent Duan Xuelian has more. 

Looking forward to Theresa May's official visit to China scheduled from January 31 to February 2, Liu Xiaoming, China's Ambassador to the UK said that the two countries expect to see more cooperation brought about by the Belt and Road Initiative. He observed that there has been growing enthusiasm towards the Initiative from UK government and businesses.

"We've seen advisory¹ bodies being set up and special envoys² appointed to help UK businesses better understand and engage in the Belt and Road Initiative. The UK government has pledged more than 30 billion US dollars worth of financial support for companies participating in the Belt and Road projects in Asia. China and UK have also established a bilateral³ Belt and Road themed investment fund with a preliminary value of one billion US dollars.”

During a previous visit to China, UK's Chancellor⁴ of the Exchequer⁵ Philip Hammond regarded his country as the "natural partner" in Belt and Road Initiative. Britain is one of the first countries to have made financial contributions to the Asian Infrastructure⁶ Investment Bank, and also the first major Western country to have approved and signed the Guiding Principles on Financing the Development of the Belt and Road projects. Liu Xiaoming explained that the UK enjoys many advantages in cashing in on the Belt and Road Initiative. 

"UK's strengths lie in its expertise⁷ in the financial and legal sectors⁸. The country also has a long history of trading with countries along the Belt and Road which will play an important role in creating multi-party cooperation platforms."

Liu Xiaoming said that Theresa May's visit will build on the "Golden Era" of China-UK relations which was established during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the UK in 2015. He quoted statistics to show that trade volumes between the two countries reached 79 billion US dollars in 2017, an increase of nearly 6.2% on last year's numbers and with the UK seeking to build a global vision after Brexit, the two countries will see the "Golden Era" enriched by new opportunities emerging from projects such as those under the Belt and Road framework. 

"And so we have reasons to believe that the Belt and Road Initiative will not only provide new growth point for China-UK cooperation, but also help the‘Golden Era' of China-UK relations to yield more Golden fruits."

It was announced that during her China visit, Theresa May will co-host the bilateral annual prime ministerial meeting with Chinese Premier⁹ Li Keqiang and she will also travel to other cities including Shanghai and Wuhan. This is Theresa May's first official visit to China since she assumed office in 2016.

For CRI, this is Duan Xuelian in London.

1 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

2 envoys   

使节( envoy的名词复数 )； 公使； 谈判代表； 使节身份

参考例句：

• the routine tit for tat when countries expel each other's envoys 国家相互驱逐对方使节这种惯常的报复行动
• Marco Polo's travelogue mentions that Kublai Khan sent envoys to Malgache. 马可波罗游记中提到忽必烈曾派使节到马尔加什。

3 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

4 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

5 exchequer   

n.财政部；国库

参考例句：

• In Britain the Chancellor of the Exchequer deals with taxes and government spending.英国的财政大臣负责税务和政府的开支。
• This resulted in a considerable loss to the exchequer.这使国库遭受了重大损失。

6 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

7 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

8 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。