8月7日的《泰晤士报》及无锡整版文章
8月7日出版的《泰晤士报》刊登题为《长江上的名城:有丰厚底蕴,更有光明未来》的整版文章,向英国读者详细介绍了无锡。文章以伦敦为例,介绍了同样诞生在伟大水系之畔、曾是王国中心地带、同为工商业名城的中国无锡,文章回顾了无锡与英国之间丰富的经贸文化往来,并通过在无锡兴业的国际企业高管和员工的评价,展示一个正在国际化格局中进阶的无锡。
在报纸的版面上,无锡城市天际线绚烂夜景占据了整版的1/3,但《泰晤士报》不忘用另一张徜徉在古运河的游船小图展示了无锡城市的双面,展示这是一座人文荟萃、经济繁盛的现代化城市。文章向国际读者介绍“你与无锡之间的距离比想象得还要接近”,不仅通达交通(well-connected)而且生活舒畅(liveable)。
图说:无锡人文荟萃、经济繁盛的“双城记”
文章说,这座城市的开放态度,使其成为全球产业链中突出的节点城市,同时,再小的创业者也能像“备受尊重的科学家们”一样在无锡享受到尊重。
与此同期(8月8日-14日),无锡经贸代表团在英开展系列城市推介、投资交流、考察拜访,取得丰硕成果,总金额超22亿美元的20个项目合作签约。正如《泰晤士报》文章结尾所判断:无锡的未来,应当会更好。
《泰晤士报》(The Times)诞生于1785年,是英国综合性主流大报,是一张对全世界政治、经济、文化发挥着巨大影响的报纸。
图说:这是无锡的“双城记”,上方是无锡城市的现代化天际线,左侧是无锡的古运河
【中译全文】
长江上的城市:有丰厚底蕴,更有光明未来
CITY ON THE YANGTZE SEIZING ITS PAST FOR A RICHER FUTURE
导语:
有着3000年以上历史的名城无锡是中国现代化城市的典型代表,作为新能源和生物医药的高地,无锡正强化与一贯伙伴英国之间的纽带。
Despite a history going back 3,000 years, Wuxi, a centre for new energy and biomedicine, is the very model of a modern Chinese city - and it’s looking to build on its relationship with the UK, its longstanding partner.
正文:
作为都是建造在伟大河流之畔的城市,而且都成为历史上强盛王国的中心,伦敦和无锡有很多相似点。
As two great cities built on two great rivers, which became the centre of two major empires, London and Wuxi have much in common.
处在雄浑的长江、京杭大运河与太湖的交汇之处,位于中国东部的无锡有着超过3000年的历史。
Located at the intersection of the mighty Yangtze River, the Grand Canal and Taihu Lake in eastern China, Wuxi’s history dates back 3,000 years.
在比古罗马时期欧洲大陆移民向大不列颠岛迁徙早大约半个世纪的时候,春秋霸主吴国的都城就在无锡,为人所熟知的《孙子兵法》作者孙武为吴国的强盛立下功勋。随着中国的大一统,无锡的商贸地位更为显著,米码头、布码头、钱码头、丝码头的美誉久久流传。
Half a century before the Romans transformed Britain, Wuxi was the capital of Wu, the most powerful state in China at the time. It owed its position, in part, to the legendary general and strategist, Sun Wu, renowned author of The Art of War. As China progressed and eventually unified, Wuxi maintained its status and prosperity as an important source of rice, clothing, silk and finance.
今天,有着国际化视野的商业氛围,位于江苏的无锡持续了历史上的繁盛,过往三年,无锡人均GDP持续在中国大中城市排名第一。
Today, with a forward-thinking global business culture, Wuxi, in Jiangsu province, continues to thrive, topping China’s cities in per capita GDP in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
英国和无锡源远流长的伙伴关系
UK and Wuxi: long-term partners
当下,一群中国客人正在英国访问,这正是来自无锡的经贸代表团,8月9日,行程中最重要的一场活动无锡(伦敦)投资说明交流会在伦敦举行,预示着无锡与英国之间的合作掀开新的篇章。
To launch a new chapter in the cities’ relationship, a trade delegation is arriving from Wuxi, the committee will give an investment seminar in the city of London the day after tomorrow (August 9).
英国是无锡在欧洲主要的商贸伙伴,去年,无锡市对英国外贸进出口13.6亿美元,比2021年增长8.5%。
The UK is Wuxi’s main European trading partner. Last year, Wuxi's trade import and export with the UK stood at $1.36 billion (£1.1 billion), an increase of 8.5 per cent on 2021.
截至目前,英国在无锡累计投资149家企业,累计投资总额16.6亿美元,双方日益紧密的经贸合作在汽车制造业、新能源、医疗等领域尤为引人瞩目。
The UK already invests $1.66 billion in 149 enterprises in Wuxi with a focus on automobile manufacturing, new energy and medical care.
有着剑桥背景的阿斯利康就是一个突出的例子,1993年,阿斯利康以江苏无锡为起点,正式进入中国市场。在阿斯利康全球执行副总裁王磊看来,“包括无锡在内的江苏营商环境、产业扶持、人才优势,助力了中国首发新药去造福全世界的患者。”
2019年,阿斯利康推动在无锡成立中国商业创新中心,这座位于无锡高新区的国际生命科学创新园的中心展示了在健康物联网领域的创新成果。
Cambridge-based biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is a prime example of a business embracing opportunities in the city, having made Wuxi its Chinese operations base since 1993.
In 2019, it became one of the key bodies behind the China Commercial Innovation Centre, the innovation incubation platform in the Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Park, situated in the Wuxi National Hi-Tech District.
The centre brings together government with companies, and medical and academic institutions via an open collaboration platform, helping to accelerate health care innovation and sciences in China.
According to Wang Lei, AstraZeneca’s global executive vice-president: “Jiangsu’s business environment, industrial support, and talent advantages, including Wuxi, have helped China's first-in-class drugs to benefit patients all over the world.”
30年来,阿斯利康累计在华投资超过10亿美元,研发投入超过15亿美元。
So far AstraZeneca’s cumulative investment in China has exceeded $1 billion, with more than $1.5 billion put into research and development.
在无锡投资的其他英国世界500强企业还有BP环球投资有限公司、苏格兰皇家银行等。同时,投资也是双向而行的,2022年,远景能源有限公司和江阴远景动力投资合伙企业投资1.9亿美元并购的远景AESC英国有限公司,成为江苏省在英国投资的最大项目。
Other British Fortune 500 companies to have set up in Wuxi include BP Global Investment and the Royal Bank of Scotland. And the relationship flows both ways: in 2022, Envision Energy, manufacturer of wind turbines and energy storage systems, invested $190 million to acquire AESC, making it Jiangsu’s largest investment project in the UK.
国际化格局中的无锡未来
Facing the future
强大的工商业为无锡城市的快速发展奠定基础,近年来,无锡在生物医药、物联网、集成电路、新能源等方面发展迅猛。一项关于城市性格的研究如此评价无锡:“善抓机遇,敢于弄潮”。而这座城市的开放态度,也使其成为全球产业链中突出的节点城市,同时,再小的创业者也能像“备受尊重的科学家们”一样在无锡享受到尊重。
Strong roots in industry and commerce have laid the foundation for rapid development. In recent years, Wuxi has become a centre for biomedicine, the internet of things, integrated circuits and new energy.
A study into Wuxi’s character rated the city as “good at seizing opportunities and playing with trends”. The city’s open attitude has helped establish it on the global industrial stage, but it’s also a place where small entrepreneurs are respected as much as scientists.
面向未来,无锡正加快打造世界格局中的无锡,一座现代化工业的中心城市。到2025年,无锡计划新增有国际影响力的重点创新平台10家,省级以上外资企业总部达60家,国际友城及友好交流城市达75对,国际性展览、会议、活动持续增加。
Going forward, the city is determined to further strengthen its position on the world stage asa modern industrial hub. By 2025, it plans to establish ten new innovation platforms with international influence, 60 headquarters for foreign-funded enterprises, 75 pairs of international sister cities and friendly-exchange cities. The number of international exhibitions, conferences and related activities will also increase.
在纳斯达克上市的硬盘巨头美国希捷的希捷无锡公司董事长庄镜发说:“作为企业全球供应链至关重要的一环,我们对中国市场、无锡发展充满信心。”
“As a vital part of the global supply chain of an enterprise, we have full confidence in the development of the Chinese market and Wuxi,” says Chong Kian Fatt, chairman of Seagate Wuxi, which has invested heavily in the city.
通达交通和舒畅生活
Well-connected and liveable
位于长三角的地理中心位置,你与无锡之间的距离比想象得还要接近。正在扩容的苏南硕放国际机场力争2025年航空物流达到50万吨,三座以上的高铁站,让无锡距离上海、杭州和南京的高铁时间都在1个小时之内。
Located at the heart of the Yangtze River Delta, Wuxi is closer than you think. Sunan Shuofang International Airport, which serves Wuxi, is expanding. By 2025, its annual cargo handling capacity will increase to 500,000 metric tonnes, and it has three major rail stations, with the cities of Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou an hour away by high-speed train.
最让人珍视的是,这里能发现一种生活与工作的平衡。近年来,无锡连续被中国社科院评为中国内地最宜居城市。
Another key factor in its appeal is the work-life balance it offers. In recent years, Wuxi has been consecutively recognised by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences as the most liveable city on the Chinese mainland.
在无锡旅居的英国人对此深有同感。利物浦人约翰·莫林纽(John Molyneux)就职的无锡健适医疗科技集团基地目前是该公司最大和最先进的研发和生产基地,他在其中担任高级运营副总裁。约翰很快发现无锡与水密不可分的联系,无锡的良好生态,以及环湖骑车就能感受到的人文氛围,似乎和他老家默西河边的生活形成了奇妙的呼应,让他很快地适应了在这里的生活。
British people who have moved to Wuxi are full of praise for it. Liverpool-born John Molyneux is senior vice-president of operations at medical device manufacturer Genesis MedTech Group, which has its largest and most advanced R&D and production base in Wuxi. Just as the Mersey defines his city of birth, Molyneux appreciates the importance of Wuxi's waterways. Cycling around its large freshwater lake helped him adapt to life there.
彼得·迪金森(Peter Dickinson)是捷普电子(无锡)的运营项目经理,同样对无锡的生活质量赞赏有加,他的看法简明扼要,“高端吸引高端”。
Peter Dickinson, operations project manager at electronics manufacturer Jabil Circuit, is another Briton who appreciates the city for its quality of life, as well as its ability to attract high-tech enterprises. As he pithily puts it: “High end attracts high end.”
无锡的未来,应当会更好。
For Wuxi, the only way is up.