I am very pleased to be back at the Xiamen International Investment Fair again. The level of interest and attendance recognizes

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问题     I am very pleased to be back at the Xiamen International Investment Fair again. The level of interest and attendance recognizes the Fair’s importance and high standing with the international investment community. I congratulate MOEFEC and all those concerned with organizing the Fair, including of course the Xiamen authorities. //
    When I was here last year we were on the threshold of China’s entry to WTO. This year membership is a reality. That is one of the most significant developments to occur on the world stage in recent times. It takes a huge step furthering the process of integrating China into the world economy. There will be difficulties for Chinese companies and their employees in some sectors, particularly the SOEs, in adjusting to international competition. That is inevitable. But I believe that once those transitional difficulties are overcome, the positive benefits for China and for world trade will be immense. I admire the courage and the vision of China’s leaders and people in picking up this challenge. //
    This year’s theme is the role of international investment in creating a competitive advantage. In Britain we are thoroughly persuaded of that role. Our experience of inward investment is wholly positive. Total inward investment to the UK has now reached some~500 billion. It has created nearly 160,000 new jobs in Britain in the last three years alone. It has helped us develop and modernize our industrial base. It has introduced new products and processes. It has brought in technology and management expertise. No wonder we are whole-heartedly in favor of it! //
    Inward investment did not just come to us by chance. We had to work hard to create the right climate for it. Why did countries choose to invest in Britain? We are a stable country. We have a strong rule of law. We have a minimum of red tape for foreign investors. We freed up our market more than our continental European neighbors. We kept our labor costs low. We treated foreign investors and domestic producers equally. We do not mind who owns a company, so long as the business and the jobs are in Britain. //
    But one factor counts above all others: investment in Britain is profitable for the investor as well as beneficial for our country. That is the single most important reason why we have attracted for instance 45 percent of all Japanese inward investment in Europe and 60 percent of all Korean investment in Europe. //
    We hope before long to attract significant investment from China as well. To help do that we are going to spread the news in China of just how creative and innovative the British economy now is. We shall be organizing an important campaign of exhibitions and events in China this year with more to come in 2003 under the title: Britain—the Leading Edge. I hope many of you will visit the first events in Shanghai next month. //
    British companies know the China market well and remain keen to invest there and the China- Britain Business Council of which I am President gives them every encouragement and help to do so. Both our trade and our investment are at record levels and Britain is Europe’s largest investor in China by a very considerable margin. Recent examples have included BP’s investment in China’s oil and gas industry and Shell’s commitment to invest in the East and West oil pipeline. // I have every confidence that willingness to invest will continue so long as British firms see steady improvement in market conditions and access. There are people who oppose foreign investment, arguing that it means exporting British jobs. But that is a shortsighted view. // In a global economy, emerging markets will always be able to produce well-educated and highly-trainable workers at far lower cost than in the UK. We know that the right answer is not to inhibit foreign investment but instead to move our own economic activity towards high technology and knowledge- based industries. That is exactly what we are doing. //
    ("International Investment Creates an International Competitive Advantage", by Lord Charles Powell, President of the China-Britain Business Council at Xiamen International Investment Fair, September 8, 2002)

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答案 我很高兴再次参加厦门国际投资贸易洽谈会。人们对洽谈会的兴趣及参与的热情表明,洽谈会是十分重要的,是国际投资界规格很高的盛事。我谨向对外贸易经济合作部、厦门市政府及参与组织洽谈会的其他相关机构表示衷心的祝贺。// 去年我来此参加该项会议时,正值中国入世前夕,而今年中国已经成为世贸组织的一员。这是近期世界舞台上发生的最重要的事件。这表明,中国融入世界经济的进程又向前迈进了一大步。对于中国的企业、尤其是国有企业和它们的员工们来说,要应对国际竞争依然面临诸多困难。这是不可避免的。但是我相信,一旦那些过渡问题得到克服,入世为中国乃至世界贸易带来的好处将是巨大的。我十分钦佩中国领导人和中国人民在应对挑战时所表现出的勇气和远见卓识。// 本年度会议主题是:国际投资在创造竞争优势方面的作用在英国,人们完全认可这种作用 英国接受外来投资的经验是十分积极的。英国接受外资总额现已达到5000亿英镑。仅过去三年时间,外资就为英国提供了近16万个就业机会。引进外资还帮助英国发展和更新了其工业基础,为英国带来了新的产品和工艺,也带来了先进的技术和管理经验。正因为这样,外资才受到英国人民的热烈欢迎。// 外资不是偶然来到我们身边的我们得努力为它创造适宜的环境、为什么人们选择在英国投资呢?因为英国是个稳定的国家,我们有强有力的法治,我们为外商提供最简便的投资申办手续,我们的市场比我们欧洲大陆的邻国要更加开放,同时,我们的劳动力成本低,对待外商和国内商人一视同仁我们不在意公司的所属权归谁,只要它的业务在英国,为英国创造了就业机会即可。// 但有一点是最重要的:投资既要对投资者有利,也要有利于英国。正是由于这个十分重要的原因,使我们吸引了日本在欧洲45%的投资,韩国在欧洲60%的投资。// 我们也希望能够尽早地吸引来自中国的投资。为此,我们将在中国大力宣传现阶段英国的经济具有何等的创造性和创新性。我们将于今年开始在华举办系列展览活动,2003年还将有更多的活动,其主题是:英国——领先的优势。我希望在座的各位能够参加下个月在上海举办的首次活动。// 英国公司非常了解中国市场,对在华投资也十分感兴趣。我担任会长的英中贸易协会也给了他们诸多鼓励和帮助。英国对华贸易和投资保持在创记录的水平,是目前在华投资最多的欧洲国家,远远超过它的邻国,近期的两个例子就可以证明这一点,一是BP公司在中国的石油和天然气产业的投资,二是壳牌公司承诺投资贯穿中国东西部的输油管道建设。//我相信,只要英国公司看到中国市场条件和市场准入有稳定的改善,这种投资的愿望将是长期的。有些人反对对外投资,认为投资就等于向外输出就业机会,这是短视的。//在全球经济中,新兴市场总是能够提供受过良好教育易于培训而成本远低于英国的劳动力。我们都知道,明智的做法不是限制对外投资,而是将本国的经济活动转移到科技含量高的产业中去。这正是我们眼下在做的工作。// (节选自英中贸易协会主席查尔斯?鲍威尔勋爵在厦门国际投资贸易洽谈会上的演讲“国际投资创造国际竞争优势”,2002年9同8日)

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