Be Wary of Two Problems in the Global Fight Against Covid-19
何时“纸船明烛照天烧”？当前全球抗疫面临的两大问题
Signed Article by H.E. Dr. Xiao Jianguo, Chinese Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Published on Suara Timor Lorosae
驻东帝汶大使肖建国发表署名文章
18 June 2021
2021年6月18日
At the request of the Timorese government, 100,000 doses Sinovac vaccines donated by Chinese government to Timor-Leste safely arrived at Dili Airport on June 5th. This is the largest vaccine donation from a single source. On June 14th, the vaccines were put into use in Timor-Leste. Many Timorese have been vaccinated, as well as a lot of overseas Chinese here. It’s not only a demonstration of the tangible benefits the friendship between the two countries brought to their peoples, but also a concrete action to implement President Xi Jinping’s proposal that vaccines should be made a global public good.
6月5日，应东帝汶政府请求，中国政府援助东帝汶政府的10万剂科兴疫苗安全顺利运抵帝力机场。这是东单笔收到的最大数量的疫苗援助。14日，科兴疫苗在东开始接种，目前已有很多东民众以及在东中国公民接种了科兴疫苗。这充分彰显了中东友谊给两国民众带来的实实在在的利益，也彰显了中国政府践行习近平主席提出的疫苗应成为全球公共产品的承诺。
Facing the unprecedented pandemic, there are two problems we must be wary of. One is the problem of uneven vaccine distribution, and the other is the political manipulation of virus origin tracing.
面对人类前所未遇的疫情大流行，当前有两个问题需引起我们高度警惕。第一是疫苗分配不均，第二是病毒溯源的政治操弄。
Firstly, Vaccine is the most powerful weapon to fight COVID-19, but the problem of uneven vaccine distribution has become more acute. A handful of developed countries have hoarded vaccines, leaving developing countries struggling with insufficient ones. And among the vaccines horded by developed countries, some has exceeded their expiry dates and been wasted. Such moves remind me of a line of a Chinese poetry “while meat and wine go to waste behind the vermilion gates of the rich, the poor is frozen to death on an empty stomach by the roadside.” Recently, the Group of Seven (G7) announced plans to donate 1 billion doses of vaccine to poor countries. This is certainly welcome. However, in the face of the situation where the virus is moving faster than the global distribution and vaccination of vaccines, the pledge was too little and too late. In terms of doses administered, the imbalance between the G7 and low-income countries, as defined by the World Bank, is 73 to 1.
第一，疫苗是战胜疫情最有力的武器，但当前各国疫苗接种不平衡问题十分突出，一些发达国家囤积疫苗，甚至出现囤货过期而白白浪费的情况，而很多发展中国家却无苗可打，可谓“朱门酒肉臭，路有冻死骨”。最近七国集团（G7）宣布拟向贫穷国家捐赠10亿剂疫苗，这当然值得欢迎，但面对病毒传播远比全球疫苗分发与接种速度快的局面，G7提供的数量太少且太迟。根据世界银行（World Bank）数据，G7和低收入国家的接种比例大约为73比1，出现明显不平衡的现象。
Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of World Health Organization (WHO) said recently that the inequitable distribution of vaccines has allowed the virus to continue spreading, increasing the chances of a variant emerging that renders vaccines less effective. The high-income countries have administered almost 44% of the world’s doses, while low-income countries have administered just 0.4%. Inequitable vaccination is a threat to all nations, not just those with the fewest vaccines. Tedros hopes at least 70% of the world’s population vaccinated by the next G7 meeting in next year. To do that, WHO needs at least 11 billion doses. According to the WHO, COVAX has so far shipped only more than 87 million doses globally.
近日，世卫组织总干事谭德塞表示，疫苗分配不平等让新冠病毒有机会继续传播，增加了病毒出现变异的机会，可能导致疫苗有效性降低。目前高收入国家已接种了全球近44%的新冠疫苗剂量，而低收入国家仅接种了0.4%的新冠疫苗。谭德塞强调，疫苗分配不平等对所有国家都是威胁，受到威胁的不仅限于获得了最少剂量疫苗的国家。他希望，明年这个时候，全球70％人口已施打疫苗，为此世卫至少需要110亿剂疫苗。但是据世卫组织提供的数据，目前“新冠疫苗实施计划”（COVAX计划）仅供应了8700多万剂疫苗。
China has played a significant role for ensuring fair access to vaccines in the world. At the recent on-line Global Health Summit, President Xi Jinping proposed to reject vaccine nationalism and find solutions to issues concerning the production capacity and distribution of vaccines, making vaccines more accessible and affordable in developing countries to bridge the immunization gap. China has provided free vaccines to more than 80 developing countries in urgent need and exporting vaccines to 43 countries. China has joined the WHO-initiated COVAX and pledged 10 million doses to meet the urgent need of developing countries. In the coming 3 years, China has pledged that it would offer 3 billion US dollars to help developing countries to improve their health system and economic recovery. In addition, China announced support for waiving intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines and would promote its vaccine companies in transferring technologies to other developing countries and carrying out joint production.
中国在确保全球公平取得疫苗方面发挥了重要作用。在前不久举行的全球健康视频峰会上，习近平主席提出要摒弃“疫苗民族主义”，解决好疫苗产能和分配问题，增强发展中国家的可及性和可负担性，弥合“免疫鸿沟”。中国已向多个有急需的发展中国家提供了疫苗援助，并出口了疫苗。中国还加入了世卫组织“新冠疫苗实施计划”，明确承诺提供疫苗用于发展中国家急需。未来3年，中国将向发展中国家提供援助，用于发展当地卫生事业和经济复苏。另外，中国已宣布支持新冠疫苗知识产权豁免，推动企业向发展中国家进行技术转让，支持开展联合生产。
Several days ago, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China has delivered more than 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to ASEAN countries when chairing the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations between China and ASEAN. China will continue to play its role as a responsible major country to do its best to provide vaccines to ASEAN countries, strengthen cooperation in vaccine R&D, production, procurement, vaccination, and supervision with other countries, and build production and distribution centers to help make vaccines affordable and accessible in the region. It proved that China’s efforts are sincere. China’s practice has alleviated the problem of inequitable distribution of vaccines and benefited many developing countries.
近日，中国国务委员兼外长王毅在主持纪念中国—东盟建立对话关系30周年特别外长会时表示，中国已经向东盟国家提供了1亿剂新冠病毒疫苗。中国将继续尽己所能向东盟国家提供疫苗，回应各国需求。双方可探讨加强疫苗研发、生产、采购、接种、监管合作，致力于打造区域疫苗生产和分配中心，助力地区疫苗的可负担性和可及性。可见，中国的努力是真诚的；中国的实践，缓解了疫苗的分配不公问题，使更多发展中国家受益。
Secondly, the pandemic puts the entire world at risk, no single country can address the challenges by its own, and no single country can stay immune on its own. This is a global battle, all countries, especially major powers, must bridge differences, unite and cooperate, and stop sowing division or distrust.
第二，新冠大流行将整个世界置于危险境地。在这场抗疫战役中，没有一个国家能独自应对，也没有一个国家能独善其身。这是一场全球战役，世界各国，特别是大国间，必须弥合分歧、团结合作，停止散播对立和不信任。
Take the virus origin tracing for example, it is a scientific issue which should rely on scientists and should not be politicized. China has been open and transparent on this issue. China is the first to cooperate with the WHO on origin tracing. According to a report released by the WHO based on a joint WHO-China study of the origins of COVID-19 in March, the virus is “extremely unlikely” to have leaked from a lab. The joint study carried out by both Chinese and foreign experts led to a consensus based on scientific research and facts. The foreign experts involved in the joint study, were all selected by the WHO, and they were representative and independent in the research, a sure thing beyond question.
以病毒溯源问题为例，病毒溯源是一个科学问题，应当依赖科学家，不应当被政治化。对于病毒溯源，中国一直秉持开放、透明态度，率先和世界卫生组织展开合作。世界卫生组织今年3月发布的中国—世卫组织新冠病毒溯源联合研究报告明确指出，新冠病毒“极不可能”通过实验室传人。此次联合研究是由国际专家和中国专家共同开展的国际科学合作，是双方基于科学研究和事实依据达成的科学共识。其中，国际专家组的人选完全由世卫组织方面提出，遵循了世卫程序，成员的广泛代表性和科学独立性毋庸置疑。
However, some politicians and media outlets recently openly questioned and tried to overthrow the conclusion made by the WHO, brought up again irresponsible conjectures that the COVID-19 escaped from a Chinese lab, which had been proved untrue by scientific research, attempting to concoct a new round of conspiracy theories regarding the origins of the virus and to pull a political trick to defame and scapegoat China for the outbreak. Ignoring the facts and scientific evidence, it is a typical political manipulation. It is ridiculous. As ironically put in an article published recently on the website of Russia Today, the US’s accusation that a Chinese lab leaked the virus is supported by “much conclusive evidence” as it used to accuse Iraq of having chemical weapons.
但是，一些政客和媒体近期公开质疑、否定世卫的上述报告结论，大肆翻炒早已被科学研究否认的“实验室泄漏”等不实信息，妄图在新冠病毒溯源问题上炮制新一轮阴谋论，继续玩弄抹黑甩锅中国的政治把戏。这种行为无视事实与科学，是典型的政治操弄。“今日俄罗斯电视台”网站近日刊文讽刺道，美国指责中国实验室泄漏新冠病毒就如同当年指责伊拉克有化学武器一样“证据确凿”，令人可笑。
The origin tracing of the virus is important and complicated, and must be handled in a professional, impartial and constructive manner. It should be conducted according to science, based on worldwide studies and research by scientists and medical experts. It should be free from political interference, respect the sovereign equality of nations and avoid a presumption of guilt. All countries closely related to the virus should be covered by field missions. The whole process should be open, transparent, objective and rational, and led by the WHO. The goal of origin tracing is to help the world better understand this kind of virus and deal more effectively with major infectious diseases in the future, and the efforts shall bolster the ability of the UN system to perform its mandate, strengthen international solidarity and cooperation, and improve the system and capacity for global governance in the area of public health. It’s worthy mentioning that, in history, it took more than 60 years for human being to find out the influenza came from birds in nature. And there is still no clear conclusion on the origin tracing of the “SARS” in 2002, but this did not prevent human beings from fighting against the influenza and “SARS” and defeat them. Human beings eradicated Smallpox by inoculation without any scientific tracing the origin of the highly contagious disease. Facts have proved that politicizing the epidemic, stigmatizing other countries, and political maneuvering shows no respect for science and no sense of responsibility for people’s lives, it hasn’t made one any stronger against the virus, but have only hindered the mainstream of international anti-pandemic cooperation.
病毒溯源重要且复杂，应以科学为依据，坚持专业性、公正性和建设性，让科学家和医学专家在全球范围内进行考察研究。病毒溯源要排除各种政治干扰，尊重各国主权平等，反对任何“有罪推定”。考察应由世界卫生组织主导，覆盖所有与疫情密切关联的国家，坚持公开透明和客观理性。病毒溯源的目的是增进对病毒的科学认知，以便今后更好地应对重大传染性疾病，溯源应有利于增强联合国各系统履职功能和各国团结协作，有利于完善全球公共卫生体系和治理能力。值得一提的是，回望历史，对普通流感的溯源，人类用了60多年的时间才搞清来自于自然界的鸟类，对2002年的“非典”的源头至今也未完全搞清。但这并不妨碍人类同流感、“非典”的斗争并战胜它们。人类通过接种根除了天花，而之前科学家并未证实天花的病毒起源。事实充分证明，将疫情政治化、对他国污名化，热衷于搞政治操弄和指责游戏，是对科学的不尊重，是对人民生命的不负责，丝毫无助于本国抗疫，只会扰乱国际抗疫合作的大局。
Facing to the severe COVID-19, there is a greater recognition of the importance of the concept of “a community with a shared future for mankind” and the urgency of building a global community of health for all. At this critical time, China and Timor-Leste firmly stand together and cooperate to fight against the epidemic. This is the best interpretation of a global community of health for all. As a good neighbor, good friend and good partner, China is willing to continue to deepen its anti-epidemic cooperation with Timor-Leste to beat the epidemic at an early date, to promote a fairer and better world, a safer and richer Timor-Leste.
面对新冠大流行，我们更加认识到“人类命运共同体”理念的重要性，更加认识到打造人类卫生健康共同体的迫切性。面对这一严峻时刻，中东两国坚定站在一起团结抗疫、合作抗疫，这是对人类卫生健康共同体最好的诠释。作为好邻居、好朋友、好伙伴，中方愿与东方继续深化抗疫合作，早日战胜疫情，让这个世界更加公平、美好，让东帝汶更加安全、富裕。
“May I ask where the God of Plague is going, paper barges aflame and candle-light illuminating the sky”. That is a Chinese traditional way to celebrate the elimination of a disease. We look forward to this day coming soon in every corner of the world.
“借问瘟君欲何往，纸船明烛照天烧。”这是中国人民战胜疾病后的传统庆祝方式。我们期待着这一天在世界各地早些到来。