转自：CGTN
Editor's note: Decision Makers is a global platform for decision makers to share their insights on events shaping today's world. Analisa Low is the Ambassador of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to the People's Republic of China. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
编者按：“决策者”是一个全球平台，供决策者分享他们对当今世界重大事件的见解。本文作者是特立尼达和多巴哥共和国驻华大使刘娜。文章仅代表作者观点，而非本台观点。
It was exactly 50 years ago, on June 20, 1974, that the then-government of Trinidad and Tobago took the forward-looking decision to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.
半个世纪前的今天，即1974年6月20日，特立尼达和多巴哥正式与中华人民共和国建立外交关系。
Our 1974 decision followed in the direction of earlier steps taken by our young nation to support the restoration of the legal rights of the People's Republic of China at the United Nations in 1971, part of the wider independent and principled foreign policy approach spearheaded by our country's founders that continues to this day.
特立尼达和多巴哥作为（当时独立不久）仍很年轻的国家，从1971年坚定支持中华人民共和国恢复在联合国的合法席位到1974年与北京建交，都体现了我国建国者所倡导并持续奉行至今的独立自主外交原则。
As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the People's Republic of China, both sides can reflect with great pride on the friendship and strong partnership we have built.
在特中建交五十周年之际，双方均为彼此建立起的深厚友谊和坚实关系感到自豪。
Shortly after the establishment of diplomatic relations, in November 1974, the Father of our Nation, the then-Prime Minister Eric Williams, paid an official visit to China, meeting with the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong and the then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. His visit would not only go down in history as the first of any Caribbean head of government to China, but would firmly establish a friendship that has persisted between the governments of both countries to the present day.
两国建交不久后，我国国父、时任总理埃里克·威廉斯在1974年11月对中国进行正式访问，他与毛泽东主席及周恩来总理进行了会晤。他不仅是加勒比地区首位访华的政府首脑，更为两国政府间的长久友谊奠定了坚实基础。
Preceding official ties, the peoples from both sides engaged in impactful exchanges of knowledge, values, and customs. According to studies, it was Trinidad in 1806 that welcomed the first group of Chinese laborers to our shores. This group is recorded by historians as the first organized settlement of Chinese in the Americas.
在正式建交之前，两国人民已在知识体系、价值观和风俗文化上进行了富有成效的交流。研究显示，早在1806年，特立尼达便迎来了首批华人劳工，他们是有记录以来首批在美洲定居的华人。
Our multi-ethnic society has been enriched by the talent and vitality of our Chinese community, who have contributed greatly in the areas of politics, business, science, and the arts. Indeed, in Trinidad and Tobago "every creed and race finds an equal place" – as sung in our national anthem.
华裔社群才华横溢、充满活力，极大地丰富了我们的多民族社会。他们在政治、商业、科技和艺术等多个领域均有突出贡献。正如我们国歌中所颂唱的：“在这里人人地位都平等，不分种族和宗教。”
And while the list of contributions of the Chinese community to Trinidad and Tobago society is impressive, we must not forget the equally remarkable contributions of the sons and daughters of Trinidad and Tobago to China.
华裔社群对特立尼达和多巴哥的社会贡献值得称赞，我们同样也不能忽视特立尼达和多巴哥人民对中国作出的卓越贡献。
Eugene Chen, born to a Cantonese family in southern Trinidad in 1878, served as China's Foreign Minister in the 1920s, and was the legal advisor to the renowned Chinese revolutionary and statesman Sun Yat-sen. He also established some of the first Chinese newspapers in the English language, speaking out against British imperialist interests of the time.
陈友仁，1878年出生于特立尼达南部的一个广东籍家庭，曾于20世纪20年代出任国民政府外交部长，还担任过中国著名革命家和政治家孙中山的法律顾问，并创办了中国早期的英文报纸《京报》，公开反对当时的英国帝国主义势力。
There is also Dai Ailian, an influential icon in the field of the performing arts, who was the co-founder of the National Ballet of China and the first president of the world-renowned Beijing Dance Academy. She, too, was born to a Chinese family in Trinidad in 1916.
戴爱莲同样来自特立尼达的华裔家庭，1916年出生的她是舞蹈艺术界的璀璨明星，她不仅是中国中央芭蕾舞团的联合创始人，还成为了享誉世界的北京舞蹈学院的第一任校长。
Today, Trinidad and Tobago and China continue to stand firmly on our time-honored friendship and close bilateral ties. Our countries share a tradition of high-level political engagement and pragmatic cooperation. Trinidad and Tobago once again made history when we welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping in June 2013, the first (and only) visit by a Chinese head of state to a country of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
特立尼达和多巴哥与中国的友谊历久弥坚，双边关系日益密切。两国不断深化高层政治交流和务实合作。2013年6月，习近平主席对特立尼达和多巴哥的国事访问开创历史先河，成为首次（也是唯一一次）访问加勒比共同体国家的中国国家领导人。
In May 2018, Prime Minister Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago visited China, signing several agreements to further enhance cooperation between both sides. One of particular significance was a memorandum of understanding that made Trinidad and Tobago the first CARICOM member state to join the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
2018年5月，特立尼达和多巴哥总理基思·罗利访华，双方签署了多项协议，推动两国合作再上新台阶。其中一个标志性的成果是双方签订了一份谅解备忘录，使特立尼达和多巴哥成为首个加入“一带一路”倡议的加勒比共同体成员国。
Since that time, both sides have worked closely together in several areas, including, but not limited to, infrastructural cooperation, health care, and people-to-people exchanges. The economic collaboration between our two countries has resulted in the realization of a number of new infrastructure projects.
自此之后，两国在基础设施建设、医疗卫生、人文交流等领域密切合作。在经济合作推动下，两国成功开展了多个新的基建项目。
Most prominent among these has been the successful joint development of the Phoenix Park Industrial Estate (PPIE), which has expanded Trinidad and Tobago's industrial capacity and stimulated more activity in the country's non-energy sectors. Considered the flagship BRI project in the Caribbean region, the Park can be seen as a shining example of South-South cooperation under the BRI.
在这些合作项目中，最为耀眼的就是凤凰工业园项目。该项目不仅提升了特立尼达和多巴哥的产业能力，还促进了特方非能源领域的蓬勃发展。作为加勒比地区“一带一路”框架下的旗舰项目，该工业园堪称“一带一路”倡议中南南合作的卓越典范。
File photo shows the main entrance of a factory in the modern Phoenix Park Industrial Estate, built by the Chinese company Beijing Construction Engineering Group (BCEG), in Trinidad and Tobago. /Xinhua
Trade between both sides has grown significantly in recent years, with the total trade volume moving from over $1.29 billion in 2022 to $1.34 billion in 2023. Our Chinese friends need not look too far to find evidence of Trinidad and Tobago products in China – with our asphalt paving the runways at the Beijing Daxing International Airport, parts of Chang'an Avenue, and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.
近年来，特中双边贸易额快速增长，从2022年的12.9亿美元增至2023年的13.4亿美元。我们的中国朋友不难发现，特立尼达和多巴哥的产品遍布中国各地，比如我国生产的沥青已用于建设北京大兴国际机场跑道、长安街部分路段以及港珠澳大桥。
The positive trajectory of the Trinidad and Tobago-China relationship, from 1974 to the present, is testament to our joint commitment to building strong ties despite the challenges related to geographical distance and disparity in size. As we look to the future in anticipation of even greater achievements together, Trinidad and Tobago remains committed to deepening collaboration with China, and looks forward to pursuing new areas for cooperation, and building an even more dynamic partnership.
从1974年至今，特中关系持续发展，体现了双方不畏山海阻隔、不分国家大小，共克时艰、合作共赢的决心。展望未来，特立尼达和多巴哥期待与中国共同达成更多成果，通过不断深化双边合作，开拓新的合作领域，共同构建一个更加充满活力的伙伴关系。
