On September 2nd, Chinese Ambassador to India H. E. Sun Weidong published an article entitled "Uphold Science-Based Origins-Tracing, Oppose 'Political Virus'" on "The WEEK" magazine. The full text is as follows:
("The WEEK")
("The WEEK" E-magazine)
THE COVID-19 virus has repeatedly mutated while the pandemic keeps rising and falling worldwide. At this critical moment-when all people are fighting the virus-a certain country is wantonly spreading a "political virus" in an attempt to politicise and stigmatise the origins-tracing. Such virulent and destructive "political virus" must be eradicated in time, to stop it from harming the world.
From trumping up and calling Covid-19 the so-called "Wuhan Virus" to smear China last year, to abruptly withdrawing from the World Health Organization, the US has tried to politicise the pandemic, stigmatise the virus, and use origins-tracing as a tool. It even turns a blind eye to the hard work of scientists by resorting to using the intelligence services to conduct origins-tracing. The US intelligence community has recently compiled a so-called report on the origins of Covid-19. It is a mendacious report made up for political purposes, and has no scientific basis or credibility. Origins-tracing is a serious scientific issue. Relying on the intelligence community for it is not scientific.
The US is actually trying to shift responsibility for its botched pandemic response and aims at achieving the political purpose of discrediting and suppressing other countries. We urge the US to stop politicisation and return to the track of science-based origins study in the interest of the lives and health of its own people and that of people around the world.
For origins-tracing, we should figure out some basic questions:
First, why should we conduct origins-tracing? From the Black Death in the Middle Ages, the flu pandemic at the beginning of the last century, to AIDS that still plagues mankind, viruses have brought huge disasters to mankind again and again. Origins-tracing are aimed at preventing future pandemics and providing a reference in order to avoid recurrence of tragedies.
Second, who should conduct origins-tracing? It is a scientific issue. We should let science be science and let professionals do their job, instead of trusting it with several politicians, intelligence community or "conspiracy theorists". The US, on the basis of "presumption of guilt", has absurdly ordered its intelligence community to give out investigation conclusions in limited time. It makes no sense.
In sharp contrast, nearly 80 countries have recently expressed support for the WHO-China joint study report and opposed politicising origins-tracing by sending letters to WHO director-general, and issuing statements or diplomatic notes. Over 300 political parties, social organisations and think tanks from 100-plus countries and regions in the world submitted a joint statement to the WHO secretariat, calling on the WHO to conduct the study on Covid-19 origins-tracing objectively and fairly, firmly opposing the politicisation of origins-tracing.
Third, how should we conduct origins-tracing? More and more reports have pointed to separate outbreaks in multiple places in the world in the latter half of 2019, and these cases show that Covid-19 seems to have multiple origins and emerged in different localities. Accordingly, origins-tracing should be conducted in various places and countries around the world with a global perspective.
At least five states in the US alone had Covid-19 infections before the first officially reported confirmed case. In July 2019, respiratory diseases of unknown cause happened in Virginia, and a large-scale E-cigarette or Vaping Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) broke out in Wisconsin. In October 2019, American military athletes attended the World Military Games in Wuhan, and the data concerning the sick athletes has never been released.
The team and lab of epidemiologist Ralph S. Baric has been engaged in coronavirus research for a long time, with extremely mature capability in synthesising and modifying coronavirus. The US has been refusing to respond to the international community's reasonable doubts on the Fort Detrick biolab and the over 200 overseas bases for biological experiments, trying to cover up the truth and avoid being held responsible. The onus is on the US to give the world an answer.
China has always been participating in the international origins-tracing cooperation with an open attitude. China has taken the lead in cooperating with the WHO on origins-tracing. It has twice invited WHO experts for origins-tracing joint studies, and has made tremendous efforts to this end. The experts went to all the places they wanted to go, met all the people they wanted to meet. The WHO-China joint study report made a scientific conclusion that "a laboratory leak is extremely unlikely", and made important recommendations such as "searching for possible early cases on a global scale".
China's position on global origins-tracing is consistent and clear-cut: first, we stick to the fact that origins-tracing is a matter of science, and we oppose the politicisation of this matter and slandering and attacking other countries.
Second, the findings and recommendations of the WHO-China joint study report must be respected and implemented by all parties, and serve as the basis to conduct future works.
Third, China has all along supported and will continue to take part in science-based origins-tracing efforts. What China opposes is politicising origins-tracing, or origins-tracing that goes against the World Health Assembly resolution and disregards the joint study report.
Fourth, origins-tracing should act on the WHA resolution, conduct effective cooperation on the basis that the views of member states are fully respected through comprehensive consultation.
Covid-19 virus jeopardises human lives, "political virus" endangers human conscience and international solidarity. To this regard, origins-tracing needs cooperation rather than discrediting, truth rather than lies, and a respect for science rather than political manipulation.
China will continue to support and participate in international origins-tracing cooperation in the spirit of openness, transparency, science and cooperation, and contribute its part to humanity's final victory over Covid-19 and the establishment of a global community of health for all.
