各位二战老战士，

各位使节，

女士们、先生们：

Second World War Veterans,

Your Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

感谢大家出席今天的招待会。今天我们在这里聚会，是为了纪念中国人民抗日战争胜利65周年，也是为了纪念世界反法西斯战争的胜利。就在不久前，英国也举行了二战对日战争胜利65周年纪念活动。

Thank you very much for joining us today, as we mark the 65th anniversary of the Chinese people's victory against Japanese aggression¹. Not long ago, Britain also celebrated² the 65th anniversary of its Victory over Japan Day.

发生在20世纪三四十年代的中国人民抗日战争和世界反法西斯战争，是世界爱好和平与正义的国家和人民同人类文明的凶残敌人进行的一场殊死搏斗。在这场世界反法西斯战争中，中国人民抗日战争开始最早、持续时间最长。中国英勇抗击了日本陆军总兵力的三分之二，歼灭日军150多万（占日军二战期间伤亡人数的70%），对打败日本侵略者起到了关键作用。中国人民抗日战争在战略上有力地支持了欧洲战场和太平洋战场抗击法西斯的行动。

Both the Chinese and the world anti-Fascist³ wars of the 1930's and 1940's were life and death struggles against ruthless states that were enemies of humanity. The Sino-Japanese war was the first to break out and lasted the longest. China played a key role in defeating the Japanese aggressors by fighting two-thirds of their army forces, resulting in 70% of their casualties during World War II, and by providing strategic support to our allies and assisted their operations in the European and Pacific theatres.

中国人民抗日战争的胜利不仅为中国人民赢得民族独立和解放，建立人民共和国奠定了重要基础，而且为世界反法西斯正义斗争取得胜利作出了重要贡献，对促进世界和平事业产生了重大而深远的影响。

China's victory over Japanese aggression not only laid an important foundation for the achievement of national independence and liberation by the Chinese people and the founding of the People's Republic, it also contributed to the world's just struggle against Fascism. It also exerted a far-reaching impact on promoting world peace.

中国人民抗日战争的胜利，是同世界所有爱好和平与正义的国家和人民、国际组织及各种反法西斯力量的同情和支持分不开的。中英两国在世界反法西斯战争中是坚定的盟友，英国为中国人民抗日战争提供了经济援助和军事合作，给予了宝贵的支持。1943年，中、美、英三国共同发表的对日作战宣言——《开罗宣言》更是具有重要历史意义。我本人担任中国驻埃及大使期间，曾专程造访金字塔脚下不远的开罗会议故址——米那豪斯大饭店(HOTEL MENA HOUSE)，重温历史，牢记使命。

China's victory would not have been possible without the sympathy and support of the peace and justice loving nations and peoples of the world. Britain was a staunch ally of China, offering us economic assistance and military cooperation during our resistance against Japan. The historic Cairo Declaration was issued in 1943 by China, the United States and Britain. Whilst the Chinese Ambassador to Egypt, I visited the Hotel Mena House Oberoi, not far away from the Pyramid where the Cairo Conference was held, to remember this part of history and my responsibilities as a diplomat⁴.

中英在战场上并肩抗击日本法西斯，涌现了无数可歌可泣的英雄事迹，共同谱写了许多感人肺腑的友谊篇章。1941年12月，日军进攻香港后，部分英国军官及中国驻港军事代表组成了“突围团”，在广东人民抗日游击队——东江纵队的帮助下,最终顺利抵达安全区。

I have heard a lot of touching⁵ stories about men and women from both China and Britain, who jointly⁶ fought the Japanese fascist forces and forged a profound friendship. In December 1941 after the fall of Hong Kong, some British and Chinese officers stationed in Hong Kong formed a joint⁷ contingent⁸ to break the Japanese siege. With the help of the anti-Japanese Dongjiang Guerrillas in Guangdong Province, they finally arrived safely in the Chinese mainland.

1942年春天，中国派出10万远征军入缅协助英军作战，成功地救出了被围困的英军官兵7000多人，自身付出了巨大的牺牲。1942年10月，运送英军战俘和侨民的日本运输舰“里斯本丸号”被美国军舰击沉于中国舟山东极海域，东极百姓冒着被日军杀害的危险，从海中营救了384名英军战俘和侨民，成为二战期间一个动人的国际人道主义故事。

In the spring of 1942, China sent 100,000 troops to Burma to support the British operations. Many of them lost their lives while rescuing 7,000 besieged⁹ British soldiers. In October 1942 when the Japanese freighter Lisbon Maru used as a prisoner-of-war transporter was sunk by a US warship¹⁰ in the waters off Dongji Island, in Zhejiang Province. The local fishermen saved 384 British prisoners of war at the risk of death from the Japanese.

英国青年乔治·何克怀着人道主义理想来到中国，撰写大量报道向全世界揭露日本侵略者罪行，参与创办培黎学校，并以自己的年轻生命，谱写了中英友好的颂歌。我们非常高兴英军二战老战士、中英“突围团”的后代和何克母校代表出席今天的招待会。

Another heart warming story was that of George Hogg, a 23 year old British journalist who went to China to expose the crimes of the Japanese. Whilst there, he founded the Bailie School in Shandan County and did everything he could to support the local children and the Chinese people's efforts to fight the Japanese invasion. He died in Shandan at the age of 30 and was buried there. Today we are glad to have here with us Second World War veterans, descendents of the Hong Kong Escape Party, and representatives from the former school of George Hogg.

孔子说，温故而知新。我们回顾历史，是为了更好地把握今天和未来。今天的世界还没有安宁太平，人类还没有远离硝烟，同时恐怖主义、气候变化、传染性疾病等全球性挑战日益突出。但历史在发展，时代在进步，要和平、谋发展、促合作成为世界各国人民的共同愿望，同舟共济、互利共赢成为国际社会的必然选择。在新形势下，我们愿与包括英国在内的世界上一切爱好和平的国家一道，为建设持久和平、共同繁荣的和谐世界而共同努力。

As Confucius said, "Consider the past, and you shall know the future". We look back at our past to learn, to grasp our present and to shape our future. We live in a world that is far from being peaceful in many places. It still has a lot of challenging issues to deal with, from terrorism, climate change to communicable diseases. But our world is moving forward. We live at a time when people all around the world are united by an aspiration¹¹ towards peace and development. Cooperation for mutual¹² benefit has become the favoured choice of the international community. In this new era, China and the UK should further strengthen our partnership¹³ and work with other peace-loving countries in the pursuit of a peaceful, prosperous and harmonious¹⁴ world.

谢谢大家！

Thank you.