原文标题：Speech at the Chinese welcoming Banquet

Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Premier. I am a doubly privileged visitor. Not only is this the second time in five years that I have visited china to enjoy your warm and generous hospitality, but I find to my astonishment that I am the first British Prime Minister in office to do so .This does not mean that we have been neglectful of china. Thestream of high-level visitors in both directions testifies to that. Nevertheless, it is an ommission which I am proud to be able to rectify and I hope my presence here tonight is further proof of the importance we in Britain attach to relations with your great country.

It is a long way from Peking to London. The distance has sometimes seemed compounded by historical, philosophical and political gaps im ovr outlooks. It is nevertheless many years since our two worlds first touched.

In 1596 Queen Elizabeth the first wrote the Ming Emperor Wan Li expressing the hope that trade could be developed between Britain and China.

In 1686 Robert Hooke of the Royal Society wrote that "A better knowledge of China's civilization would lay open to us an empire of learning, hitherto fabulously described", Since then generations of my countrymen have been fascinated by china. Soon British scientist, is the home of many important science inventions. Cultural and scientific contact went from strength to strengtu through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the tradition of chinese studisin Britain has continued to the present day.

Our political relations have been more varied. But there were important moments when history brought us together. I recall sun Yat-sen`s very close contacts with Britain, Leading up to the famous to China, a plot shich was foiled with the help of the British Foreign Office. Another more recent example perhaps says something more about the two countise: for some time in 1940 and 1941 Britain and China were the only two nations actively engaaed in the war against fascism. Ten years later we were one of the first West European countries to recognize the Chinese People's Republic.

Today, although our political philosophies are very different, our understanding has grown enormously and in world affairs our interests over wide areas are close.

译文标题：在中国欢迎宴会上的讲话

    总理先生，感谢你的友好讲话。我为这里方问感到双倍的荣幸。不仅是因为 这是我五年内第二次访华， 受到你们热忱和盛情的款待，而且我惊奇地发现， 我是五年内两度访华的第一位在任的英国首相。这并不是说，我们以前不重视中 国。双方高级代表团川流不息的互访证明了这一点。然而，这是一个不足，我能 来弥补它，使我感到自豪。我希望，今晚我到这里来可以进一步证明，我们英国 人非常重视和你们伟大国家的关系。

    北京和伦敦相距遥远。我们的历史、哲学和政治观点上的差异，有时好像扩 大了这个距离。然而，从我们两国最初接触到现在，也已经很久了。

    1956年，伊丽莎白一世女王曾写信给明朝的万历皇帝，表示希望能发展贡中 之间的贸易。

    1686年，皇家学会的罗伯特胡克写道："更好地了解中国的文明，将为我们打 开一个知识的王国，对这个王国迄今只有神话般的描述。"此后，世世代代的英 国人都感到中国令人神往。众所周知，中国是很多重要科学发明的发源地，英国 的科学家很快就成了中国的常客。整个19世纪和20世纪初，文化和科学方面的来 往日益密切，在英国，研究中国的传统一直延续到今天。

    我们的政治关系变化较多，但是，在重要的时刻，历史却把我们联在了一起。 我记得孙中山先生和英国有过密切的联系，以致当时的中国公使馆企图绑架他并 把他送回中国，可是在英国外交部的帮助下，这个阴谋被粉碎了。另一个较近的 例子，也许更多地反映了我们两国的情况：在1940年和1941年的一些时间里，英 国和中国是积极进行反法西斯战争的仅有的两个国家。十年之后，我们是最早承 认中华人民共和国的西欧国家之一。

    今天，虽然我们的政治哲学很不相同，但是我们相互间的了解有了很大的发 展。在世界事务中，我们在很多方面的利益是相近的。