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”的源头在哪里
揭批借新冠肺炎疫情抹黑攻击中国的叵测居心（三）
By Jun Sheng
■钧 声
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.
病毒是全人类共同的敌人，而滋生于美国一些政客身上的“政治病毒”同样可憎，它危害全球抗疫大局，祸害人类社会长远发展进步，其危害与自然界的病毒相比，有过之而无不及。
What are the sources of this political virus then?
“政治病毒”的源头在哪里？
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.
——源于美国少数政客的私利。就在前不久，有美国媒体披露，美国高官曾向多个联邦政府机构下发文件，要求全美所有联邦雇员在对外讲话涉及疫情时要“统一口径”，将一切都说成是中国的责任。这份文件，可谓是指导其实施“甩锅”战术的自供状。今年是美国的大选之年，为了不让疫情连累到选情，美国一些政客疯狂炮制各种荒谬的“中国责任论”，给世卫组织扣上“以中国为中心”的帽子，甚至指责有的州长抗疫不力……种种毫无底线的“政治秀”，无不是为了掩盖自身在决策和行动上的失误，从而转移民众的不满情绪。
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”.
——源于种族主义的毒瘤。在国际组织和学术界将“新冠病毒”命名为COVID-19后，美国一些政客却放弃科学命名直呼“中国病毒”。反对给病毒贴上地域、国家、种族标签，这是国际社会已经形成的共识，也是国际社会理当坚守的公道，而美国一些政客恰恰反其道而行之，有意识地将舆论引向种族主义和排外主义，实施种族歧视。“中国病毒”的称呼，更是暴露了一些感染“政治病毒”的美国政客既无常识、又无良知，既无合作理念、又罔顾道德底线的丑陋嘴脸。
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.
——源于冷战思维的泛起。美国一些政客大搞政治操弄，肆意诋毁中国。尤其是美国国务卿蓬佩奥，近来更是四处煽风点火、造谣生事。他们脑子里根深蒂固的“政治病毒”，正是其险恶意图的渊薮。他们一厢情愿地认为：攻击中国搞“口罩外交”，就可以抵消中国的影响力；抹黑中国帮助非洲建立疾控中心是要“窃取基因组数据”，就能够挑拨中国与非洲的关系；鼓动各国蜂拥而上对中国进行“索赔”，就能把病毒的“原罪”推到中国身上……如此弥天大谎，无非是为了达到遏制中国发展的目的。
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“大国竞争”的执念。近年来，美国政府先后发布《国家安全战略报告》和《国防战略报告》，把中、俄定位为“对美国国家安全的最大挑战”，宣布“世界重回大国竞争状态”。此次全球抗疫中，为了竭力打造“赢得大国竞争的弹药”，美国一些政客非但不去集中精力抗疫，反而大搞“逢中必反”以围堵中国，企图靠污蔑中国来掩盖自身防控疫情不力的难堪。对这种“装睡”且“永远叫不醒”的人，或许最好的办法就是不要理睬他们，就像鲁迅先生当年所说的那样，“连眼珠也不转过去”。
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，不治将恐深。当今世界，疫情仍危急如火，需要各国勠力同心、携手应对。奉劝那些别有用心的美国政客，立即悬崖勒马，改弦更张。同时，我们也呼吁国际社会，高度警惕并采取有力措施，坚决遏制美国的“政治病毒”滋生扩散，防止其对全球抗疫大局造成更大伤害、对正常的国际秩序形成更大冲击。
