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UPDATED: January 3, 2008 NO.51 DEC.20, 2007

只有开放兼容 国家才能富强
Only an Open and Inclusive Nation Can Be Strong  

--在新加坡国立大学的演讲
中华人民共和国国务院总理 温家宝
2007年11月19日
Address at National University of Singapore by Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council, the People's Republic of China on November 19, 2007
 
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尊敬的李光耀资政,

尊敬的施春风校长,

同学们、老师们,女士们,先生们,

朋友们:

今天,我有机会到新加坡国立大学同各界知名人士和师生代表见面,感到十分高兴。首先,我向在座各位并通过你们向新加坡人民转达中国人民的诚挚问候和良好祝愿。

作为历史悠久、国际一流的高等学府,新加坡国立大学秉持"致力激发创意精神,教育学生并为国家和社会培养人才"的宗旨,培育了大批思想活跃、学识渊博的杰出人才。你们坚持"无墙文化",提倡自由思想和人才交流,在百年校庆之际提出"思想任驰骋,生活显姿彩"的口号,彰显了开拓创新、造福社会的理念。我相信,按照贵校的宗旨和理念,依托优秀的师资队伍、雄厚的科研实力、广泛的国际合作关系,国大一定能够为国家和本地区以至全球提供更多的高质量教育成果。

这是我第四次踏上新加坡的国土。虽然每次逗留时间不长,但贵国的新发展和新变化令我印象深刻。独立40多年后,新加坡发展成为全球最大集装箱港和航空枢纽,第三大商品交易中心和炼油中心,第五大外汇交易中心和亚洲三大金融中心之一,建成经济发达、秩序井然、廉洁高效、环境优美的国家。新加坡的发展成就源于贵国最珍贵的资产,这就是李光耀资政所说的"人民的信任、勤劳、节俭和好学",也得益于资政先生倡导的新加坡生存之道--"必须比其他国家更有条理、更有效率和更具有竞争力",还有一个重要原因,就是新加坡长期实行对外开放的政策。"国家虽小,兼容乃大",新加坡通过对外开放,学习和借鉴其他国家的先进经验,其发展成就和影响力备受世人瞩目。

女士们,先生们:

对外开放不仅是新加坡发展的成功之路。从中国的历史发展来看,也可以得出这样的结论:只有开放兼容,国家才能富强,闭关锁国必然落后。中国有着对外开放的光辉历史。早在2000多年前,中国汉朝就开始与西域交往,开辟了著名的丝绸之路。在7至8世纪中国唐代的鼎盛时期,更是对外交往频繁。15世纪中国明代初期,航海家郑和七下西洋,最远到达了非洲的东海岸,带去中国的茶叶、丝绸和瓷器,表明那时中国有着相当强大的航海能力和综合国力。从时间上来说,比哥伦布、达·伽马远航早了近一个世纪。但郑和下西洋之后,中国的封建统治者却固步自封,限制乃至放弃海上活动,采取了"片舨不得出海"的政策,从而失去了一次重要的发展机遇。

17世纪后期至18世纪末,是中国清代的鼎盛时期,史称"康乾盛世"。那个时期,中国的工业产量位居世界前列。但正是在这个时候,欧洲诸国先后开始了近代资产阶级革命和产业革命,社会生产力迅速发展,后来居上。而中国当时的统治者对这一历史性大变革却茫然无知,仍沉迷于盲目自大之中,视西方科学技术为"奇技淫巧"。"康乾盛世"之后的100多年,中国的发展大大落后了,国际地位急剧衰落,沦为半殖民地,备受外强欺侮。

中华人民共和国成立后,中国人民掌握了自己的命运,民族的独立和解放使中国发生了翻天覆地的变化。但在20世纪60、70年代世界经济蓬勃发展和新科技革命浪潮兴起的时代,中国搞了长达10年的"文化大革命",错失了又一次发展良机。值得欣慰的是,从70年代末开始,我们纠正了过去的错误,选择了改革开放的正确道路,对内实行改革,对外实行开放,开放也是改革。改革开放使我们抓住了新的历史机遇,实现了近30年的高速发展,综合国力显著增强,人民生活得到很大改善,国际地位不断上升。

近30年来,中国对外开放各项事业取得了举世瞩目的巨大成就。1978年,中国货物进出口总额仅206亿美元,2006年达到1.76万亿美元,增长了84倍,跃居世界第三位。1978年以前,中国外汇储备从未超过10亿美元,2006年末已突破1万亿美元。对外贸易成为中国经济发展的重要支柱。通过引进国外的资金、技术和管理经验,进行消化、吸收和再创新,大大提高了中国的生产力水平,缩小了与发达国家的差距。同时,教育、文化、科技等各方面对外交流也日益增多。中国大批留学生到国外学习,他们中的许多人成为国家建设的有用之才。通过相互学习,使人们的思想更加解放,视野更加开阔,开放意识和创新能力有了很大提高。2001年,中国加入世界贸易组织,标志着中国对外开放进入一个新的阶段。

中国近30年的发展告诉我们,现在的世界是开放的世界,任何一个国家要发展,孤立起来,闭关自守是不可能的。我们建设中国特色社会主义,其根本目的就是要发展社会生产力,不断满足人民日益增长的物质文化需要。实现这个目标,我们必须致力于解决国内发展和改革面临的问题,同时必须坚持实行对外开放。

中国的对外开放是长期的。中国实行对外开放,使十几亿人民得到了实惠。我们的路子走对了,对国家有利,人民赞成,就变不了。如果变了,就会贻误国家的发展,丧失人心。这是中国对外开放长期性的根本基础。中国的改革和现代化建设需要对外开放。因此,对外开放是我们的基本国策,而不是权宜之计。实行这种方针政策的具体措施、方法,不同时期可能有所不同,但作为基本方针政策,是不会变的。改革开放初期我们就说,开放政策本世纪不变,下世纪前50年不变,50年以后,中国同国际上的经济交往将更加频繁,更加相互依赖,更不可分,开放政策更不可能改变。

中国的对外开放是全面的。我们不仅对发达国家开放,也对发展中国家开放。我们既有经济领域的开放,又有科技、教育、文化等领域的开放。中国的开放首先从经济特区开始,在试验成功后扩大到沿海开放城市、沿海开放地带,再扩大到内地,形成由点到线到片到面的全面开放格局。开放和兼容,两者是相互联系的。只有开放,先进的和有用的东西才能进得来;只有兼容,尊重不同文明,取长补短,才能使自己不断充实和强大起来。我们要大胆吸收和借鉴人类社会包括资本主义社会创造的一切文明成果,结合新的实践,进行新的创造,为我所用。

中国的对外开放是互利的。我们在经济全球化条件下搞社会主义市场经济,理所当然要向世界开放,与其他国家经济相互依存,与国际市场密切联系,与世界经济相互交融。我们坚持同各国开展平等互利合作,按市场经济规律办事。对外开放不仅有利于中国的发展,也有利于世界的发展。中国吸收国外的资金、技术和管理经验,可以提高生产发展水平;外国也能从中获得利益和市场。只有双赢互利的开放才能持久,才能有利于各国人民的根本利益,促进世界和平与繁荣。

不久前中国共产党召开了第十七次代表大会,会议总结并充分肯定了近30年改革开放的成就和经验,表明中国坚持改革开放、走中国特色社会主义道路的决心和信心。我们将坚定不移地实行对外开放,在更高水平上参与经济全球化的进程,着力解决目前形势下对外开放遇到的新问题。我们主张自由贸易,反对贸易保护主义。我们要加快转变外贸增长方式,改善外贸结构,努力缓解贸易不平衡矛盾。我们坚持利用外资的基本政策,创新利用外资方式,优化利用外资结构,提高利用外资水平。我们将继续按照主动性、渐进性、可控性的原则,完善人民币汇率形成机制,增强汇率弹性,逐步实现资本项目下的可兑换。我们高度重视产品质量和食品安全,对国内外消费者负责,按照国际标准进行生产,加强产品检验执法监督。我们对保护知识产权的态度是明确的,决心是坚定的,做了大量有成效的工作,并愿意继续深化与各国的知识产权合作。我们愿在《联合国气候变化框架公约》和《京都议定书》框架下,按照"共同但有区别的责任"原则,与世界各国一道,共同应对气候变化问题。我们已经建立并将继续完善对外开放的法律法规,使在华投资有法可依,其合法权益得到保护。

女士们,先生们:

开放兼容造就了新加坡的成就,开放兼容推动了中国的发展,中国与新加坡相互开放兼容使中新两国的合作突飞猛进。去年中新双边贸易额达到408.5亿美元,是1990年两国建交时的15倍,两国互访人员超过180万,是建交时的19倍。苏州工业园区不仅成为中新合作的亮点,也成为中国工业园区中的亮点。现在两国正在探索共建生态城市,这是中新两国与时俱进、谋求可持续发展的有益尝试。早在上世纪90年代,邓小平先生就赞扬新加坡的社会秩序好,我们应该借鉴你们的经验。十几年来,到新加坡培训的中国官员超过9000人。中国与新加坡发挥各自优势,相互借鉴,密切合作,实现了互利共赢。最近,在李光耀资政的倡议和带动下,新加坡中华总商会成立了"通商中国"组织,搭建了促进中新两国文化和工商界交流的新平台。我们希望,"通商中国"为中新关系发展开创新的天地。

回顾过去,展望未来,我们对中新两国关系发展的前景充满信心。目前,中国正在深入贯彻落实科学发展观,致力于全面建设小康社会,贵国也在打造"新的新加坡"战略,中新两国合作处于新的发展机遇期。我们将一如既往加强与新加坡的交流与合作。我们相信,由邓小平先生、李光耀先生等两国老一辈领导人奠定、并在几代领导人共同努力下发展起来的中新友好将世代传承,两国合作的未来将更加美好。

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew,

Mr. Shih Choon Fong, President of the National

University of Singapore,

Students and faculty members,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Friends,

I am delighted to have this opportunity of meeting you, leading public figures in Singapore and representatives of faculty and students of the National University of Singapore (NUS). Let me begin by conveying the warm greetings and best wishes of the Chinese people to you, and through you, to the people of Singapore.

NUS has a long history and is internationally renowned. "Advance knowledge and foster innovation, educate students and nurture talent, in service of country and society." Guided by this motto, NUS has produced many outstanding graduates well grounded in knowledge and with inquisitive mind. NUS has a "no walls" culture, that is, no walls around minds and no walls to talent. At its centenary, NUS committed itself to unleashing minds and transforming lives in keeping with the vision of fostering innovation and the spirit of enterprise for the betterment of society. I am convinced that guided by its mission and vision and with its first-class faculty, strong scientific research capability and a network of partners around the world, NUS will, through its quality education, contribute more to Singapore, to Asia and to the whole world.

This is my fourth visit to Singapore. Though my visits have all been short, I have never failed to be impressed by changes and progress made in Singapore. Thanks to its efforts made over the past 40 years since independence, Singapore has the busiest container port and airport in the world. It has grown into the world's third largest commodity trading center and oil refinery center and the fifth largest foreign exchange trading center. It is also one of the three largest financial centers in Asia. Singapore today is noted for prosperity, public order, clean government, high efficiency and a beautiful environment. Singapore's development achievements are attributable to your most valuable assets. And this is how Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew put it, "Our greatest asset was the trust and confidence of the people. The other valuable asset we had was our people: hardworking, thrifty, eager to learn." Your success is also attributable to Singapore's way of survival as advocated by the minister mentor, "To be better organized and more efficient and competitive than the rest of the region." Another important cause for Singapore's success is that it has long pursued an open policy. A small country becomes big when it embraces the world. By opening itself to the outside world and drawing upon others' successful practices, Singapore has come a long way in development, with growing international influence.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Opening up has worked not only for Singapore. A review of China's history leads to the same conclusion: Only an open and inclusive nation can become strong and prosperous, while a nation that shuts its door to the world is bound to fall behind. There were proud chapters of opening up in China's history. As early as 2,000 years ago in the Han Dynasty, China opened the famous Silk Road and started exchanges with West Asia. During the prime time of the Tang Dynasty in the seventh and eighth centuries, the country was engaged in frequent interaction with the outside world. In the early Ming Dynasty in the 15th century, Zheng He, the famous Chinese navigator, led a fleet on seven expeditions to the Western Seas, reaching as far as the east coast of Africa. He brought tea, silk and porcelain to the local people. These voyages demonstrated China's strong maritime capabilities and overall national strength at that time. Zheng He's expeditions were almost a century earlier than those of Columbus or Da Gama. But after Zheng He, the Chinese feudal rulers at the time turned inward and began to restrict and later completely banned ocean-going voyages, missing out on an important opportunity for development.

The Qing Dynasty reached its apex in the period between late 17th century and the end of the 18th century, noted for unprecedented peace and prosperity during the reign of Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong. At that time, China was a leading industrial producer in the world. It was, however, during this period that European countries embarked on the path of modern capitalist revolution and the Industrial Revolution. They unleashed productive forces and overtook China. The Chinese rulers at that time, ignorant of this historical transformation, continued to indulge in complacency. They dismissed Western science and technology as "clever but useless." In the 100 years and more after Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong's reign, China was left far behind in development and its international standing plummeted and it became a semi-colonial country subjected to humiliation by foreign powers.

The founding of the People's Republic of China marked the independence and liberation of the Chinese nation and brought about profound changes in the country. But in the 1960s and 1970s when waves of dynamic economic growth and scientific and technological revolution were sweeping across much of the world, China was in the grip of the decade-long "cultural revolution." It thus lost another good opportunity for development. Fortunately, we changed course in the late 1970s and embarked on the track of reform and opening up, that is, to carry out reform domestically and open up externally. Opening up is also a part of China's overall reform efforts. By pursuing the policy of reform and opening up, we have seized the new historical opportunity and achieved fast development for almost 30 years. As a result, China's overall national strength has been greatly enhanced, the living standards of its people have significantly improved and the country's international standing has steadily risen.

China has made remarkable achievements in its opening-up endeavor in the past three decades. Its import and export in goods, only $20.6 billion in 1978, reached $1.76 trillion in 2006, registering an 84-fold increase. This turned China into the third largest trading nation in the world. China's foreign exchange reserves, which never exceeded $1 billion before 1978, surpassed $1 trillion at the end of 2006. Foreign trade has become a key pillar underpinning China's economic development. By introducing foreign capital, technologies and managerial expertise and using them as a basis for making innovation, we have greatly boosted productivity and narrowed the gap between China and developed countries. We have increased exchanges with other countries in education, culture, science and technology and other fields. A great number of Chinese students have studied overseas and many of them have returned to China, contributing their share to its development endeavor. By drawing on the strengths of others, the people in China have freed their minds and broadened their visions and become more open and creative. China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, which marked a new stage in its opening-up drive.

This is what we have learned from China's success in development over the past nearly 30 years: The world today is an open one. No country can achieve development in isolation or seclusion. We in China are working to build socialism with distinctive Chinese features, and our fundamental objective is to boost productive forces and meet the increasing material and cultural needs of the people. To meet this goal, we must address issues arising in the course of domestic development and reform and remain committed to opening up.

China's opening-up policy is a long-term one. Opening up has brought great benefits to more than 1 billion Chinese. It is the right policy for China and has the support of the people, and it will therefore not change. To deviate from this policy will only impede China's development and we will lose popular support. This is the fundamental reason why China will stay on the track of opening up. Opening up is crucial to China's reform and modernization endeavor. It is a basic state policy, not expediency. Though the specific measures and means to implement this policy may differ in different stages, the basic policy will not change. At the beginning of China's reform and opening up, we assured the world that China's opening-up policy would remain unchanged in the 20th century and the first half of the 21st century. After the mid-21st century, China will have more frequent economic interactions with the rest of the world, and the two will become even more inter-dependent and indivisible. This will make it even less likely for China to reverse its opening-up policy.

China's opening up is comprehensive in nature. We are open not only to developed countries, but also to developing countries. We are open not only in the economic field, but also in the scientific, technological, educational, cultural and other fields. China first introduced the opening-up policy in its special economic zones on a trial basis. Following their success, we proceeded to implement this policy in coastal cities and areas, and then in the hinterland. The opening-up policy has been pursued in a gradual way: from selected cities to regions and then to the whole country. Openness and inclusiveness are two sides of the same coin. Only by opening China can we bring in advanced and successful practices. And only by being inclusive, which calls for respect for different cultures and mutual learning, can we enrich and strengthen ourselves. We should boldly absorb and draw upon all the achievements of the human society, including those of the capitalist countries, build on them and make innovations.

China's opening-up policy is based on mutual benefit. We are developing a socialist market economy under the conditions of economic globalization, and this naturally means we should open ourselves to the world, build inter-dependent economic ties with other countries, gain close access to the international market and integrate ourselves into the world economy. We are committed to carrying out mutually beneficial cooperation on an equal footing with other countries in accordance with the law of the market. Opening up not only benefits China's development, but also contributes to the world's economic development. By introducing foreign capital, technologies and managerial expertise, China has upgraded its production capacity, and this has also enabled other countries to gain benefits and increase their market shares in China. Only on the basis of mutual benefit and win-win progress can opening up endure and be conducive to the fundamental interests of all peoples and peace and prosperity of the world.

The Communist Party of China held its 17th National Congress not long ago. The Congress reviewed and affirmed the achievements we have made and experience we have gained in the course of reform and opening up over the past nearly 30 years. The Party Congress highlighted China's resolve to pursue reform and opening up and build socialism with distinctive Chinese features and its confidence in accomplishing this endeavor. We will unswervingly follow the opening-up policy, move up the value chain as we participate in economic globalization, and focus on addressing new issues in opening up that have arisen under the current circumstances. We stand for free trade and oppose protectionism. We will speed up changing the mode of trade growth, improve trade mix and strive to reduce trade imbalances. We are committed to the basic policy of using foreign capital and will develop innovative ways of using foreign capital, improve its structure and raise its efficiency. We will continue to follow an independent, gradual and controllable approach in improving the renminbi exchange rate mechanism, increase its flexibility and gradually make renminbi convertible under capital account. We take product quality and food safety seriously and work to uphold the interests of both Chinese and foreign consumers. We comply with international standards in production and have enhanced law enforcement of and supervision over product testing and inspection. We are fully committed to protecting intellectual property rights and have made a lot of effective efforts in this area. We stand ready to deepen cooperation in IPR protection with other countries. We are ready to work with all other countries to jointly tackle climate change within the framework of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol and in accordance with the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities." We have put in place the legal framework governing opening up and will continue to improve it to place foreign investment activities in China under the rule of law and protect the lawful rights and interests of foreign investors.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Opening up and inclusiveness have both created Singapore's success and contributed to China's development. Mutual opening up and inclusiveness between China and Singapore have led to rapid growth in our cooperation. Last year, China-Singapore trade totaled $40.85 billion, 15 times the figure of 1990 when our two countries established diplomatic ties. Last year saw 1.8 million mutual visits between China and Singapore, a 19-fold increase over 1990. The Suzhou Industrial Park, in which Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has invested a lot of time and energy, has become a success story not only in China-Singapore cooperation, but also among China's industrial parks. Our two countries are exploring the building of an eco-city. This will be a good initiative to be taken by China and Singapore to promote sustainable development in keeping with the trends of the times. Back in the early 1990s, Mr. Deng Xiaoping highly commended Singapore on its public order and said that China should draw upon its experience. In the past decade and more, over 9,000 Chinese officials have received training in Singapore. By drawing on their respective strengths and maintaining close cooperation, China and Singapore have both become winners. Responding to the proposal made by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry has recently set up an organization known as "Business China," which offers a new platform for conducting cultural and business exchanges between the two countries. We hope "Business China" will create more opportunities for the growth of China-Singapore relations.

Reviewing the past and looking ahead to the future, we have every confidence in the future of China-Singapore relations. Guided by the Scientific Outlook on Development, we in China are striving to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and you are pursuing the strategy to remake Singapore. This has provided new opportunities for our two countries to carry out cooperation in development. We will continue to increase exchanges and cooperation with Singapore. The foundation of China-Singapore friendship was laid by Mr. Deng Xiaoping and Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, and new generations of leaders in both countries have worked hard to build this friendship. We are confident that our friendship will be carried forward from generation to generation, and our cooperation will have an even brighter future.

(Source: www.fmprc.gov.cn)

 

 



 
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