我现在非常荣幸邀请英国对华可持续城镇化事务特使熊麦克爵士上台给我们发布欢迎致辞。非常欢迎,熊麦克。
Thank you very much, Patrick. Could I just say what an honor and privilege it is to be here today to make the opening address, especially in front of all you distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. That is my first visit to Zhuhai as the envoy, UK Envoy for Sustainable Urbanization. Over the last year I've made over seven visits to China, visiting over 24 cities. This visit to Zhuhai is, in fact, one of the highlights. Thank you very much for making me feel so welcome here.
As you heard it is a particularly exciting time in the UK-China relationship, with the recent visit by your President, President Xi, to London. I have the privilege of meeting him at the banquet in London. He made it quite clear that his aspiration is for the next decade to be a golden decade, a golden era between our relations, the UK-China relations in business, in culture, in knowledge exchange. I look forward very much to witnessing that decade ahead of us with such optimism being expressed at such high level.
Now one of China's leading economists Lu He has said that there are two key drivers for world growth in the next 20 years. Firstly, urbanization in China. Secondly, advanced high-tech in developed countries. By 2050, the number of people living in urban environment will grow from 3.5 billion to seven billion. That is quite an increase. 62% of the world economic growth in the next ten years will come from cities, increasing the need for city-based services, like transport, energy, infrastructure, health, education and business services sector. Therefore, ensuring that China urbanizes in a sustainable way is not only good for China but good for the whole world. I am very pleased to see and read that China's determination in pursuing sustainable urbanization (that) is set out in the National New Type Urbanization Plan and the National Livable Cities Program reflects exactly that. Sustainable urbanization is an area where the...