驻马耳他大使姜江在文化界人士招待会上的致辞

Remarks by Ambassador Jiang Jiang at the Reception for Cultural Personages

2018年11月17

17 November 2018

尊敬的各位来宾，

女士们、先生们、朋友们：

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

晚上好！欢迎大家到中国使馆做客。见到这么多文化界的朋友，感到格外高兴。

Good evening. Welcome to the Chinese Embassy. It’s a great pleasure to meet so many friends from the cultural sector.

在马耳他当大使是幸运的，不仅因为这里气候宜人、风景如画，更因为中马传统友好深入人心。建交46年来，不管国际形势如何变化，两国关系始终保持着旺盛生命力。中马关系能够行稳致远，离不开“民心相通”的支撑和保障。中马都是历史悠久、文化底蕴深厚的国家，多元、开放、包容是我们共同进步的动力和源泉。令人欣喜的是，近年来中马人文交流与合作蓬勃发展，汉语热、中医热方兴未艾，成为不断拉近两国人民情感的纽带。

I consider myself very fortunate to represent my country in Malta, not least because it is one of the most beautiful and pleasant places to live. But more importantly, it is because our friendship with Malta has the overwhelming support of the people here. Throughout the past 46 years since we established diplomatic relations, our ties have stayed strong no matter how the international situation evolved. This would not have been possible without the deep people-to-people bond between our two countries. Both China and Malta are proudly known for immense historical and cultural heritage. Both nations are driven by diversity, openness and inclusiveness. Our people-to-people and cultural exchanges are flourishing, which is truly exciting. We have seen enormous interest among the Maltese in the Chinese language and traditional Chinese medicine. All this is bringing our people closer to each other.

中马文化交流事业的兴盛离不开马耳他朋友，特别是今天各位来宾的鼎力支持。马文化主管部门长期以来为马耳他中国文化中心开展各类活动提供帮助。马耳他艺术委员会、地中海会议中心、皇家露天剧场、2018欧洲文化之都基金会、圣詹姆斯艺术创作中心等机构都是文化中心重要的合作伙伴。在议会支持下，今年欢乐春节开幕式还首次在议会举办。此外，马电视台、报纸和网络媒体也为中国文化在马传播发挥了积极作用。借此机会，我谨对大家一直以来为促进中马文化交流合作、增进两国人民相互了解与友谊所作贡献表示衷心的感谢。

The flourishing of the cultural exchanges must be credited to our Maltese friends, especially those present this evening. The China Cultural Center has long benefited from the help of the cultural authorities of Malta in organizing all kinds of events. It also enjoys the support of important partners such as Arts Council Malta, Mediterranean Conference Center, PTR, Valletta 2018 Foundation and Fondazzjoni Kreattivita. This year, for the very first time, the Happy Chinese New Year was unveiled in the Parliament of Malta, thanks to its support. I also wish to acknowledge the role of Malta’s media, including TV stations, newspapers and websites, in introducing Chinese culture to Malta. Let me take this opportunity to thank you all for the valuable contribution to the cultural exchange, mutual understanding and friendship between our two peoples.

今年恰逢马耳他中国文化中心成立15周年。作为中国在欧洲最早的文化中心，15年来，中心举办了大量卓有成效的文化交流活动。我在马耳他工作这两年多来，中心工作人员饱满的热情、全身心的投入给我留下深刻印象。正是在一代又一代中心人的努力下，“欢乐春节”“世界太极日”“中国电影节”等一系列品牌活动在马耳他民众中广受欢迎，已成为中马交流之窗、友谊之桥。

The China Cultural Centre has just celebrated its 15th anniversary. As the first of its kind in Europe, the Center has organized many marvelous activities. For the past two years since I came to Malta, I have been deeply impressed by the enthusiasm and dedication of the staff of the Center. It is their hard work that has brought about the success of flagship events such as Happy Chinese New Year in Valletta, World Taichi Day and Chinese Film Day, which have been warmly received by the Maltese people and become an important bridge for China-Malta friendship.

不久前，我有幸陪同穆斯卡特总理赴上海参加首届中国国际进口博览会，期间两国政府签署了共建“一带一路”谅解备忘录，表达双方在“一带一路”框架下开展合作、实现互利共赢的积极意愿。这为中马全方位提升务实合作水平勾画了蓝图，而“民心相通”就是其中的重要内容之一。中马关系正站在新的历史起点上，让我们携起手来，共同努力，为推动两国民相亲、心相知作出更大贡献。

Not long ago, I had the honor to accompany Prime Minister Muscat to the inaugural China International Import Expo in Shanghai, where our two governments signed an MOU on Belt and Road cooperation. It demonstrated the readiness of both sides to work together for win-win results under the Belt and Road Initiative. It provides the blueprint for elevating China-Malta cooperation in the years to come, and people-to-people exchange is an important component of this blueprint. As we get ready to take China-Malta relations to the next higher level, let us join hands to make the people of our two countries closer friends and greater partners.

祝大家度过一个愉快的夜晚。谢谢！

Have a nice evening. Thank you.