International trade is good for business. By making business more productive and competitive we raise living standards. There is good evidence that companies which export pay more, invest more in training and are more aware of health and safety issues than those companies who choose not to trade overseas. And this applies whatever the size of company. So although I know there are many who have misgivings about the effect of trade on those who work in a number of industries, the hard evidence is that trade is good for workers too.

国际贸易对商业有好处。更高产能，更有竞争力的商业让我们提高生活标准。证据显示出口公司在培训方面支付投资的越多，会比不选择出口贸易的公司更注重健康和安全问题，这适用于所有规模的公司。因此，虽然我知道有很多人对工作于好几个行业的贸易影响有担忧，但事实证明贸易会工人也是有好处的。

Our strong business links underpin our whole relationship with Hong Kong and I am confident that they will strengthen and grow over the coming years. Hong Kong continues to occupy a pivotal place for us as a major trading partner in its own right.

我们强势的商业联系支撑着我们与香港的关系，我相信我们的联系在接下来的年份中会更加强。香港一直以自己的优势占据着我们贸易伙伴极其重要的位置。

I think it worth spelling out just how extensive those links are. Two-way trade flows are now running at nearly ￡9 billion per year. Hong Kong is our thirteenth largest export market for goods with a quarter of our exports to the Chinese mainland going through Hong Kong. Hong Kong is also a huge market for us for services, as many of the companies represented here tonight will testify.

我想说出这些联系的广泛程度是值得的。双边贸易流现每年接近90亿英镑。香港是我们第十三大出口市场，出口到中国大陆的商品有四分之一经由香港。香港还是我们服务的巨大市场，今晚很多入席的公司将证明这一点。

It is also worth remembering that Hong Kong is the UK's second largest market in the Asia Pacific, The UK is one of the largest external investors in Hong Kong and we account for 80 per cent of Hong Kong’s investment in Europe. And what diverse investment it is! It ranges from the textiles and clothing sector to ICT to bottled water to ports. The British Governments inward investment promotion body, Invest, UK, is working hard and successfully to attract Hong Kong investors and to give I comprehensive after-care to those who have chosen to invest in the UK.

还值得提起的是香港市英国在亚洲太平洋地区的第二大市场。英国是香港最大的国外投资者之一，我们占香港在欧洲投资的80%。投资时很多样的，从纺织服装行业到信息与通讯技术，到瓶装水，到港口。英国政府对内投资的提升主体英国投资努力成功的吸引到香港投资者，并为选择英国的投资者提供综合的投资后关怀。