WHAT ARE THE SOURCES OF THE POLITICAL VIRUS?

Exposure of Ulterior Motives Behind Stigmatization of China with COVID-19 (Part III)

“政治病毒”的源頭在哪里

揭批借新冠肺炎疫情抹黑攻擊中國的叵測居心（三）

By Jun Sheng

■鈞　聲

While the biological virus is a common enemy of humankind, the political virus born out of certain American politicians is equally detestable, for it has damaged the global anti-epidemic cooperation and impeded the long-term development and progress of human society. The virus in the political world has done even more damages than the virus from the natural world.

病毒是全人類共同的敵人，而滋生于美國一些政客身上的“政治病毒”同樣可憎，它危害全球抗疫大局，禍害人類社會長遠發(fā)展進步，其危害與自然界的病毒相比，有過之而無不及。

What are the sources of this political virus then?

“政治病毒”的源頭在哪里？

It is rooted in the selfish interests of a handful of American politicians. Not long ago, the American media revealed that senior US officials had handed down documents to a number of federal agencies requesting all federal employees to speak consistently about the pandemic and blame China for everything. The document was practically a confession of the US government on how it implemented the buck-passing. As 2020 is America’s election year, some American politicians are so crazily intent on fabricating all kinds of fallacies about “holding China accountable,” attacking the WHO for being too “China-centric,” and even criticizing some state governors for poor epidemic response, all to keep the epidemic from affecting the election. Such unscrupulous “political shows” reflect how desperate these politicians are to cover up their misconduct both in the decision and execution of their response, with a purpose of deflecting the public grumble.

——源于美國少數(shù)政客的私利。就在前不久，有美國媒體披露，美國高官曾向多個聯(lián)邦政府機構(gòu)下發(fā)文件，要求全美所有聯(lián)邦雇員在對外講話涉及疫情時要“統(tǒng)一口徑”，將一切都說成是中國的責(zé)任。這份文件，可謂是指導(dǎo)其實施“甩鍋”戰(zhàn)術(shù)的自供狀。今年是美國的大選之年，為了不讓疫情連累到選情，美國一些政客瘋狂炮制各種荒謬的“中國責(zé)任論”，給世衛(wèi)組織扣上“以中國為中心”的帽子，甚至指責(zé)有的州長抗疫不力……種種毫無底線的“政治秀”，無不是為了掩蓋自身在決策和行動上的失誤，從而轉(zhuǎn)移民眾的不滿情緒。

The political virus is a tumor stemming from racism. After the WHO and the scientific circle named the novel coronavirus COVID-19, some American politicians deliberately ignored the new nomenclature and insisted on calling it the “Chinese virus”. It is an international consensus not to label a virus with a region, state, or race, which is also a universal principle that the international community should uphold. Yet these American politicians are determined to defy the world by intentionally steering public opinions in the direction of racism and xenophobia, and practicing racial discrimination. The use of the term “Chinese virus” for coronavirus laid bare the absolute absence of common sense, conscience, cooperative spirit, and morality in those politicians infected with the “political virus”.

——源于種族主義的毒瘤。在國際組織和學(xué)術(shù)界將“新冠病毒”命名為COVID-19后，美國一些政客卻放棄科學(xué)命名直呼“中國病毒”。反對給病毒貼上地域、國家、種族標(biāo)簽，這是國際社會已經(jīng)形成的共識，也是國際社會理當(dāng)堅守的公道，而美國一些政客恰恰反其道而行之，有意識地將輿論引向種族主義和排外主義，實施種族歧視?！爸袊《尽钡姆Q呼，更是暴露了一些感染“政治病毒”的美國政客既無常識、又無良知，既無合作理念、又罔顧道德底線的丑陋嘴臉。

The political virus derives from the Cold War mentality. A small group of American politicians have been obsessed with political maneuver and slandering China, especially the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has been busy fanning flames and spreading rumors. The “political virus” ingrained in their mind is the hotbed of all their vicious intentions. They have the wishful thinking that accusing China of the so-called “mask diplomacy” would offset its influence; vilifying China’s aid to help build the African Center for Disease Prevention and Control as an attempt to “steal genome data” would drive a wedge between China and Africa; and egging other countries to claim reparations from China would pin the “original sin” of the virus on the country.... These whimsical whoppers are nothing but Washington’s attempts to curb China’s development.

——源于冷戰(zhàn)思維的泛起。美國一些政客大搞政治操弄，肆意詆毀中國。尤其是美國國務(wù)卿蓬佩奧，近來更是四處煽風(fēng)點火、造謠生事。他們腦子里根深蒂固的“政治病毒”，正是其險惡意圖的淵藪。他們一廂情愿地認為：攻擊中國搞“口罩外交”，就可以抵消中國的影響力；抹黑中國幫助非洲建立疾控中心是要“竊取基因組數(shù)據(jù)”，就能夠挑撥中國與非洲的關(guān)系；鼓動各國蜂擁而上對中國進行“索賠”，就能把病毒的“原罪”推到中國身上……如此彌天大謊，無非是為了達到遏制中國發(fā)展的目的。

The political virus is rooted in the obsession with “great-power competition.” The US government labeled China and Russia as the biggest challenges to US national security in its latest National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy, and declared the reemergence of great-power competition. During this global crisis of COVID-19, certain American politicians, going out of their way to make “ammunition to win the great-power competition,” have gone all out to oppose China in every possible way and tried hard to cover up America’s embarrassment of ineffective epidemic control measures by smearing China, rather than focus on preventing the virus spread. As we can never wake up someone pretending to be asleep, perhaps the best way is to leave him alone and “not even turn our eyes in his direction,” as the famous Chinese writer Lu Xun once said.

——源于“大國競爭”的執(zhí)念。近年來，美國政府先后發(fā)布《國家安全戰(zhàn)略報告》和《國防戰(zhàn)略報告》，把中、俄定位為“對美國國家安全的最大挑戰(zhàn)”，宣布“世界重回大國競爭狀態(tài)”。此次全球抗疫中，為了竭力打造“贏得大國競爭的彈藥”，美國一些政客非但不去集中精力抗疫，反而大搞“逢中必反”以圍堵中國，企圖靠污蔑中國來掩蓋自身防控疫情不力的難堪。對這種“裝睡”且“永遠叫不醒”的人，或許最好的辦法就是不要理睬他們，就像魯迅先生當(dāng)年所說的那樣，“連眼珠也不轉(zhuǎn)過去”。

The disease has seeped down into the skin and should be treated before it gets worse. The world is still struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic, and all countries need to join hands in defeating it. We advise the American politicians with ulterior motives to stop the misdeed and change course before it’s too late. We also call on the international community to stay on high alert and take strong measures to prevent the American political virus from spreading to do more harm to the global anti-epidemic efforts and the normal international order.

疾在腠理，不治將恐深。當(dāng)今世界，疫情仍危急如火，需要各國勠力同心、攜手應(yīng)對。奉勸那些別有用心的美國政客，立即懸崖勒馬，改弦更張。同時，我們也呼吁國際社會，高度警惕并采取有力措施，堅決遏制美國的“政治病毒”滋生擴散，防止其對全球抗疫大局造成更大傷害、對正常的國際秩序形成更大沖擊。