双语:新冠溯源:尊重科学,拒绝政治化
发布时间:2022年02月08日
发布人:nanyuzi  

Covid-19 Origin Tracing: Respect Science, Reject Politicisation

新冠溯源:尊重科学,拒绝政治化

 

A Signed Article by Mr. Zhang Xumin, Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in Singapore Published in Straits Times

驻新加坡使馆临时代办张徐民在《海峡时报》发表署名文章

 

20 August 2021

2021年8月20日

 

Since the outbreak of Covid-19 more than a year ago, people from all over the world have been helping each other and making tremendous efforts to battle the pandemic. Today, with the pandemic still raging and the virus continuously mutating, the fight against the virus remains top priority. Covid-19 is the common enemy of mankind. Only through solidarity and joint response can countries defeat it.

新冠肺炎疫情暴发一年多来,各国人民守望相助、风雨同舟,为了抗击疫情付出了巨大的努力。当前,世界仍处在新冠肺炎疫情大流行之中,病毒还在肆虐变异,抗疫仍是当务之急。各国只有团结一致、共同应对,才可能战胜疫情这个人类共同的敌人。

 

Exploring the origin, transmission and evolution of the virus is an important part of the Covid-19 response. At the opening ceremony of the 73rd World Health Assembly (WHA) last year, China’s President Xi Jinping called for continued international support for global research by scientists on the source and transmission routes of the virus. After the 73rd WHA adopted the relevant resolution, China took the lead in working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) by inviting WHO experts to China twice for joint origin-tracing studies. Based on the joint studies, in late March, the WHO officially released the joint study report “WHO-convened Global Study of Origins of Sars-CoV-2: China Part”, which reached scientific and authoritative conclusions, including the extreme unlikeliness of virus introduction through a laboratory incident, the necessity of continued search for possible early cases on a broader global scale, and further exploration of the role of cold chain and frozen food in the transmission of the virus. This constitutes the basis for the next phase of global origin-tracing efforts. It should be respected and implemented by all parties, including the WHO Secretariat.

探索新冠病毒起源、传播及演变,是应对疫情的重要组成部分。在去年举行的第73届世界卫生大会开幕式上,习近平主席表示,“支持各国科学家们开展病毒源头和传播途径的全球科学研究”。第73届世界卫生大会通过相关决议后,中国率先同世卫组织开展联合溯源研究,两次邀请世卫专家来华开展溯源研究。在联合溯源研究基础上,今年3月底,世卫组织正式发布了中国—世卫组织联合研究报告,得出包括实验室泄露极不可能、在全球更广范围内继续寻找可能的早期病例、进一步了解冷链及冷冻食品在病毒传播过程中的作用等科学、权威的结论。这是下阶段全球溯源工作的基础,理应得到包括世卫组织秘书处在内各方的尊重和实施。

 

However, the WHO Secretariat has recently put forward a work plan on the next phase of investigation into the origins of Covid-19 without consultation with member states. This plan is not based on the WHO-China joint study report and has not adopted the scientific conclusions and recommendations in the report, which naturally leads to questioning and opposition by many member states. More than 70 countries have declared their opposition to the politicisation of the origin-tracing issue and shown their support for the WHO-China joint study report by writing to the WHO director-general, issuing statements or sending diplomatic notes. More than 30 countries have raised objections or reservations to the WHO Secretariat’s plan. More than 300 political parties, civil society organisations and think tanks from over 100 countries and regions have submitted a Joint Statement to the WHO Secretariat, calling on the WHO to carry out origin-tracing studies objectively and impartially and firmly opposing politicisation of the origin-tracing issue. These voices of justice must be heeded.

但近期世卫组织秘书处在未同成员国协商的情况下,提出了第二阶段溯源工作计划。这份工作计划并非基于中国—世卫组织联合研究报告,也没有采纳其中的科学结论建议,理所当然地遭到了成员国的质疑和反对。近期70多国通过致函世卫组织总干事、发表声明或照会等方式,支持中国—世卫组织溯源联合研究报告,反对溯源问题政治化。30多个国家对世卫组织秘书处的工作计划提出反对或保留意见。世界上100多个国家和地区的300多个政党、社会组织和智库向世卫组织秘书处提交《联合声明》,呼吁世卫组织客观公正地开展新冠病毒溯源研究,坚决反对将溯源问题政治化。这些正义的声音必须得到重视。

 

The WHO is led by member states. Its secretariat should engage in extensive consultation with member states on the plans for global origin tracing and fully respect their views. When it comes to origin tracing in certain countries, consultation with the countries concerned is the prerequisite for making any plan, as this is the basis for effective cooperation. China has been supporting science-based origin tracing and will continue to be a part of it. However, China opposes any origin-tracing attempt that runs contrary to the WHA resolution or abandons conclusions and recommendations of the WHO-China joint study report.

世卫组织是由成员国主导的,秘书处应该就全球溯源工作计划同成员国充分协商,充分尊重成员国的意见,对当事国的溯源计划更应同当事国协商确定,在此基础上才能有效开展合作。中方始终支持并将继续参加科学溯源,但反对违背世卫大会决议的溯源,反对抛弃中国—世卫组织联合研究报告的溯源。

 

It is not the Sars-CoV-2 virus but the political virus that calls for more vigilance. Last year, the US openly called the Sars-CoV-2 virus “Wuhan virus”, causing a rise in hate crimes against Asians in many parts of the world. The US outrageously withdrew from the WHO at a time when the global fight against Covid-19 was at its most critical moment and when the WHO was in dire need of funds. The US has hyped the “lab leak theory”, which presumes guilt, falsely accused China of lab leaks and spread rumours of illness of three employees in the Wuhan Institute of Virology, yet it failed to offer any evidence for these allegations. In total disregard of the professional research of scientists, the US has instructed intelligence agencies to carry out the so-called origin-tracing investigation. All these actions show that the US has been trying to use origin tracing as a tool to shift responsibility for its own botched pandemic response and discredit other countries. If such practices and rumours continue unchecked, the political virus will disrupt the global Covid-19 response and split the international community.

比起新冠病毒,我们应更加警惕政治病毒。去年,美国公然把新冠病毒称为“武汉病毒”,使得世界多地对亚裔的仇视犯罪上升。在全球抗疫最吃紧、世卫组织资金需求最紧迫的关头,美国却悍然退出世卫组织。美国炒作有罪推定的“实验室泄漏论”,诬蔑中方实验室泄漏、造谣所谓3名武汉病毒研究所员工患病,却拿不出丝毫证据。动用情报部门搞溯源调查,无视科学家的专业研究。这一桩桩一件件,都是美国将病毒污名化、溯源工具化、疫情政治化的有力证明,目的是转移自身抗疫不力的责任,甩锅抹黑别国。如果任由这样的行径和谣言继续下去,政治病毒将干扰全球合作抗疫的进程、撕裂国际社会的团结。

 

Origin tracing is a scientific issue. It should be carried out by scientists based on evidence. Although China was the first to notify the outbreak, several scientific studies such as those by researchers in Europe and Brazil point to signs of the virus having emerged in many places in the world before China’s notification. These lend support to the conclusion that the virus may have multiple origins. We hope that relevant countries will, like China, cooperate with the WHO in an open, transparent and scientific manner to trace the origins of the disease and make their due contribution to promoting global anti-epidemic cooperation and saving more lives.

病毒溯源是科学问题,应当以科学家为主体,以证据为基础开展科学溯源。中国虽然最先通报了新冠肺炎疫情,但欧洲、巴西等地的一些科学研究发现,在中国通报疫情之前,新冠病毒已在世界多地出现,进一步佐证了新冠疫情在全球可能有多个源头的客观事实。希望有关国家都能像中国一样,本着开放透明科学的态度,同世卫组织开展溯源合作,为促进全球抗疫合作、挽救更多生命作出应有的贡献。

 

The international community’s top priority remains working together to control the pandemic, restore economic growth and safeguard people’s livelihoods, in particular, facilitating fair and equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines to developing countries. Throughout this year, China will strive to provide 2 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines to the world. China has also decided to donate US$100 million to Covax for the distribution of vaccines to developing countries. It is believed that with our joint efforts, the pandemic will come to an end and humanity will embrace a better tomorrow.

当前国际社会首要任务仍是携手控制疫情,恢复经济,保障民生,特别要促进向发展中国家公平公正分配疫苗。今年全年,中国将努力向全球提供20亿剂疫苗。中国并决定向“新冠疫苗实施计划”捐赠1亿美元,用于向发展中国家分配疫苗。相信在我们的共同努力下,疫情总将过去,人类将迎来更加美好的明天。