2020年5月30日，中国国际电视台（CGTN）旗舰新闻时事栏目“议程”播出对驻英国大使刘晓明的视频连线专访。刘大使就中英关系、中美关系、香港国家安全立法、疫情对世界的影响及中国外交政策等问题回答了主持人斯蒂芬·科尔的提问。专访实录如下： 主持人：大使先生，欢迎再次接受“议程”栏目采访。你曾说中英关系经历一系列挑战后会更加成熟和稳固。为什么这么说呢？ 刘大使：疫情使我们两国关系更加密切。自疫情暴发以来，中英就抗疫开展良好合作,主要体现在五个方面：一是保持政策协调。习近平主席与约翰逊首相进行了两次通话，重申致力于加强双边关系和携手抗疫，致力于推进中英关系“黄金时代”。二是相互提供物资支持。在中方面临疫情严峻挑战时，英方向湖北省武汉市发送了两批医疗物资。在英方抗击疫情关键时刻，中方也投桃报李，协助英方采买了呼吸机等急需物资。三是加强研发合作。两国高校、科研机构、医药公司在疫苗研发等方面开展紧密合作。四是开展经验交流。日前，中国卫健委主任马晓伟及英国卫生大臣汉考克与中英两国科学家、医疗专家举行了富有成果的视频会议，就疫情防控、“解封”经验等进行了深入交流。五是促进国际合作。中英都强烈支持世界卫生组织在全球抗疫中发挥领导作用，两国是携手推进国际抗疫合作的伙伴。因此我认为，新冠病毒把中英两国进一步团结在一起，抗疫过后，中英关系将更加强劲，双方合作将更加广泛，两国人民友谊将更加深厚。 主持人：刚才你提到了中英合作伙伴关系，但不少英国政客，包括来自亨利·杰克逊协会的20名议员提出质疑，他们认为英国在重要国家基础设施和经济上过于依赖来自中国的进口，这种质疑不利于中英关系“黄金时代”，对吗？ 刘大使：我注意到了这些政客的言论，准确地说，是23名保守党议员，还有一些工党议员，但他们的言论并不代表英国政府的立场。我曾与一些政府大臣、国务大臣和高级官员交流，他们都曾表示，那些人的言论仅代表其个人。正如我所说，英国政府的立场是致力于推进中英关系向前发展，是在这个艰难时刻与中方合作抗疫。 同时，这些“噪音”也不能反映英国社会主流共识。近期，我通过视频连线方式多次与中英工商界人士举行座谈交流，包括英中贸易协会、48家集团俱乐部、英国中国商会、英国工业联合会等。我还与国际贸易部国务大臣就如何在当前形势下加强中英关系进行交流。我也曾与不少地方政府官员展开对话。我深切感受到，从政府到民间，英国各界朋友都对深化中英关系与合作充满期待。 主持人：下面让我们来谈谈“两会”以及香港的未来。一些香港“泛民派”人士认为，拟议中的国家安全立法有违香港基本法关于“一国两制”的精神。你说“一国两制”仍然存在。李克强总理说“一国两制”没有变。但关于“一国两制”是否还存在，现在有许多疑问和怀疑。 刘大使：首先，我想纠正一点，我不认为这些人是所谓的民主人士。他们是反华分子，企图把香港从祖国分离出去，鼓吹“港独”。香港回归23年来，“一国两制”在香港取得巨大成功。人民充分享有自由与民主。如果将今天的香港与23年前的香港进行比较，即使是抱有偏见的人，也应该意识到，香港人在选举特首等方面更加自主。23年前，谁能选举港督？那个时候没有民主，不能选举香港地方领导人。 主持人：但这正是个别香港人的说法，认为香港不再拥有自由。中国常驻联合国代表刚刚阻止了联合国安理会开会讨论该立法，他发推特表示香港事务纯属中国内政，美国国务卿蓬佩奥说，香港不再享有自治地位，对此你怎么看？ 刘大使：香港是中国的一部分，美英政客的问题是他们仍将香港视为英国殖民统治的一部分，这是完全错误的。香港是中国不可分割的一部分，就像加利福尼亚州、佛罗里达州属于美国，就像苏格兰、北爱尔兰、威尔士是英国的一部分，维护国家安全是中央政府的事权。去年以来，香港持续发生暴力事件，任何负责任的政府都必须采取措施止暴制乱。香港回归近23年，至今仍未能完成基本法第23条立法，导致香港特区在维护国家安全方面实际处于“不设防”状态，中国中央政府必须负起责任，解决这个问题。 我们现在来谈谈“一国两制”。“一国两制”是一个完整的概念，“一国”和“两制”密不可分，“一国”是“两制”的前提,没有“一国”就没有“两制”。首先必须承认香港是中国的一部分，在此基础上中央承诺港人治港、高度自治。西方个别人有意无意忽视“一国”，只谈“两制”。但这两者是紧密联系在一起的，若“一国”受到破坏，“两制”就不能顺利实施。这一点非常重要。 相关立法正是为了堵住香港的国家安全法律漏洞。一些民众由于受抱有偏见的媒体误导，没有意识到香港如果没有安全稳定的社会环境，就不能保持繁荣。目前英国在港有30万公民和700多家企业，一个繁荣稳定的香港不仅符合中国利益，也符合英国利益。如果去年的形势继续下去，人们能过上好日子吗？人们可以享受和平、稳定的生活吗？答案是否定的。因此，面对当前形势，任何负责任的政府都会采取措施，这些措施是及时的，也是合理合法的。 主持人：让我们谈谈经济问题。专家预测，英国经济需要至少3年的时间才能恢复到疫情以前的水平。因疫情影响，在今年的“两会”上，中国首次不设具体经济增长目标。你对全球经济形势如何判断？
刘大使：人们很担心国际形势，特别是经济形势。一方面，疫情给世界经济带来巨大挑战，对全球贸易、投资造成负面影响。与2008年国际金融危机相比，本次疫情直接冲击实体经济，因此造成贸易、投资和全球经济增长下滑。但现在中国已经控制住疫情，开始复产复工，可能在世界率先实现经济恢复和增长。中国一直被称为世界经济引擎和“世界工厂”，我相信中国将继续扮演这个角色。另一方面，尽管实体经济受到一些挫折，也要看到疫情带来新机遇和新业态，包括“网络经济”、“云经济”、医疗健康等领域都具有很大发展潜力。中国是世界上生产最多的医疗物资的国家，为世界上150个国家提供了医疗物资。中国仍然是个大市场。 主持人：确实是个大市场。抱歉打断你，你刚刚说中国可能在世界率先实现经济恢复和增长，这是否意味着中国在全球经济影响力上将占上风？ 刘大使：我认为中国不是要占上风，我们始终坚持合作共赢，这也是为什么习近平主席呼吁推动构建人类命运共同体。我认为，这次疫情让中国和英国、让世界各国关系更近了，说明我们生活在同一个地球村，必须携手共同努力。中国不仅愿意分享疫情防控经验，也愿意一如既往分享中国增长和发展的机遇。以中英关系为例，我们正为两国开通“快捷通道”，便利人员往来，特别是关键的人员，从而帮助英国在华企业尽快恢复经营。 主持人：牛津大学最近一项调查发现，英国每10个人中就有4个人认为在一定程度上，“新冠病毒是中国为了控制西方而制造的生物武器。”这么多人持有这种观点是否是一个严重的问题？特别是对中国的声誉而言？ 刘大使：我认为，有关“中国使用病毒去控制世界”的指控是完全错误的。中国是受害者，不是肇事者。中国不是病毒制造者，中国第一个报告病例，率先甄别出病原体，率先和世卫组织、世界各国分享病毒基因测序。这也正是为什么国际社会特别是科学家、医生能够研发疫苗并且共同遏制疫情。正如英国民医疗服务体系（NHS）英格兰国家医学主任波伊斯所言，正是因为中国在疫情早期反应迅速，英国才有时间去做相应准备并研发疫苗和药物。我认为，对中国的指控是由于部分美国政客想将疫情政治化，想推卸自身抗疫不力的责任。中方已多次重申，当务之急是团结抗击疫情，而不是进行指责、抹黑、污名化。 主持人：你多次谈到合作，在与英国工业联合会网上座谈中，你说中国希望与美国合作而不是冲突，但同时“一个巴掌拍不响”。你对此有何具体看法？ 刘大使：中国希望同美国建立良好的关系。我们始终认为中美合则两利、斗则俱伤，合作是唯一正确的选择。这是我们的希望和愿望，但需要美方相向而行。如果美国政客终日指责中国，试图让中国为他们自己抗疫不力“背锅”，就很难建立良好的中美关系。这就是我说的“一个巴掌拍不响”的含义。强劲良好的中美关系需要双方共同努力构建。 主持人：中国愿意主动握手言和吗？中国能否推动与美方达成某种形式的和解？今年年初，中美之间签署历史性的贸易协议。但现在两国关系似乎比之前还要紧张。一些政客甚至在谈论是否迎来了新冷战。你为此感到担忧吗？中国要如何改善与美关系？
刘大使：此次疫情期间，中方向美国伸出了援手。我们始终认为，疫情是中美共同的敌人。我们也一直在向美方传递这一信息，那就是，中国不是美国的敌人，而是伙伴，美国的敌人是病毒。中国已经向美国提供了数十亿只口罩。正如王毅国务委员兼外长所讲，每一名美国人平均可得到40只口罩。与此同时，中国很多地方政府、企业、学校和非政府组织都在向美国各州捐赠医疗物资，帮助他们抗击疫情。我记得美国纽约州州长科莫曾积极评价中国帮助纽约州抗击疫情。因此，中国希望与美国合作。我们展现善意，与美方达成了贸易协议，但美方也应相向而行，共同推动两国关系改善。 主持人：中国的大使遍布世界各地，“战狼外交”一词在网络上受到热议，不知刘大使是否也是其中的一员。你能否解释一下什么是“战狼外交”？中国的大使们是否都是“战狼”？ 刘大使：将中国外交称作“战狼外交”是不正确的。中国的外交政策并没有改变。中国自古就是爱好和平的国家，“和为贵”是我们最重要的理念，这仍然是当代中国外交的指导原则之一。习近平主席提出构建人类命运共同体，这就是我们的外交政策。所谓“战狼”，是因为世界上有“狼”，才需要有“勇士”去“战狼”。面对当前各种关于中国的谣言、虚假信息和假新闻，中国外交官需要站出来发声、阐明事实、讲述中国的真实情况。我不认为自己是“战狼”，我是中国驻英国大使，致力于发展更强有力的中英关系。但只要有关于中国的谣言、虚假信息和假新闻，我和使馆的外交官们就会主动发声、阐明真相。 主持人：刘大使，为了阐明真相，我再问最后一个问题。中国表示，将对该流行病进行全面调查，但要等到疫情结束之后。这可能是一年后，也可能是十年后。你认为调查何时能够开始？ 刘大使：我认为这个时间应由世界卫生组织来确定。不久前结束的第73届世界卫生大会通过了一项由140多个国家共同提出的决议。根据这项决议，各方同意由世卫组织来组织开展相关审议，体现公正性、独立性，并在合适时间进行。新冠肺炎疫情尚未结束，合作抗疫是当务之急，对英国如此，对中国亦是如此。当前中国还存在本土零星散发病例和境外输入病例，我们现在还不能说抗疫取得最后胜利，因此，我们还必须保持警惕。英国政府现在的抗疫口号是“保持警惕”，我们中国亦未放松警惕，我们既要防止本土疫情出现反弹，又要化解境外输入风险。我赞同英国卫生大臣“应将百分之百的精力集中于疫情防控”的表态。因此，现在启动审议的时机尚不成熟。 同时，中方对国际社会开展病毒溯源一直持开放和支持态度。这有助于我们为今后更好地应对类似问题做好准备。正如习近平主席所说，人类终将战胜疫情，但重大公共卫生突发事件对人类来说不会是最后一次。中国支持在全球疫情得到控制之后，在坚持科学专业态度、世卫组织主导等原则的前提下，全面审议全球应对疫情工作，总结经验，弥补不足。我们应避免审议工作被一些别有用心的政客主导，避免其被政治化，或者给特定国家贴标签，这一点非常重要。这就是中方的立场。 主持人：刘大使，非常感谢你再次做客《议程》栏目，接受我们的采访。
采访英文实录：
Ambassador Liu Xiaoming Gives Exclusive Interview on CGTN's Agenda
On May 30, H.E. Ambassador Liu Xiaoming gave an online exclusive interview on CGTN’s Agenda hosted by Stephen Cole, where he shared his views on China-UK Relations, China-US Relations, Hong Kong national security legislation, COVID-19 and its global impact, and China's foreign policy. The complete transcript is as follows.Cole: Mr. Ambassador, welcome back to The Agenda. You've said you think China and the UK will emerge from these testing times with a more mature and a robust relationship. What did you mean by that?Ambassador Liu: I mean this pandemic has brought our two countries closer. Since the outbreak, we have had very good cooperation in jointly fighting the virus. First of all, on the policy front, President Xi had two telephone conversations with Prime Minister Johnson. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a stronger relationship between our two countries, and reaffirmed their commitment to a joint fight against the virus. They are committed to building the “Golden Era” between our two countries.Secondly, on the ground, we have supported each other. At the height of this epidemic in China, the British side sent two shipments of medical supplies to Wuhan of Hubei province. Now, China is reciprocating the British support. We have provided most needed medical supplies, including ventilators.Thirdly, the experts and scientists of our two countries are working on vaccine – our universities and businesses are working very closely.Fourthly, health officials headed by Secretary Matt Hancock and Chinese Health Minister had a very productive webinar, joined by the scientists and medical doctors, to compare experience, compare notes on control and prevention, and also compare experience on lifting lockdown.Fifthly, our two countries work together in the international arena. Both countries are supporting strongly the WHO in playing a leading role in the global fight against the virus. So I think China and the UK are partners in terms of building a global response to the virus. I think this virus brings our two countries together. So that's what I'm saying now. I believe relationship will emerge stronger from this battle against virus and cooperation between our two countries will be wider. And friendship between our two peoples will be deeper.Cole: There are quite a few politicians, there are 20 MPs from the Henry Jackson think-tank, who are questioning this partnership. They say Britain may well have found out that it’s too dependent on China for imports that are key to critical national infrastructure and the economy. That doesn’t exactly promise a golden future of relations, does it?Ambassador Liu: I noticed those politicians. And to be exact, there are 23 Conservative MPs and also some Labor MPs. They made some remarks, but I don't think they represent UK government’s position. In my conversations with the Secretaries, Ministers, senior officials, they all told me, those people are speaking for themselves. These words, those MPs’ remarks do not represent government position. Government position is exactly what I told you. They are committed to stronger relationship with China. They are committed to working together with China in this joint fight against this virus. And they do not represent the consensus, the broader consensus, here in the UK. I have many conversations with business people. I have had several webinars, with the CBBC, with the 48 Group Club, with the China Chamber of Commerce in the UK, and with the CBI. And I did another one, joined by a Minister of Trade. We compared notes with regard how to strengthen this partnership in this difficult time. And I think the broad consensus in the UK, from the government level down to the grassroots -- and I also have several conversations with the local governments as well – is that they are all calling for stronger relationship, calling for more robust cooperation between China and the UK.Cole: Let's move on to the Two Sessions and the future of Hong Kong. Some Pro-democracy leaders in Hong Kong have suggested, are saying, that the proposed security law violates the spirit of Hong Kong's Basic Law that set out in “One Country, Two Systems”. You will say that still exists. And in fact, the Premier was talking about that system still existing. But there are serious doubts about whether or not that “One country, two systems” does exist anymore.Ambassador Liu: First, I should correct you if I may. I don't regard those people as so called pro-democracy leaders. They are anti-China elements. They are supporters for breaking away from China, supporters for separation, even for independence. When we talk about “One Country, Two Systems”, first, we should recognize that this policy has achieved great success since Hong Kong’s handover 23 years ago. In Hong Kong people enjoy unprecedented freedom and democracy. If you compare Hong Kong today with Hong Kong 23 years ago, everyone, even people with strong bias, should realize that Hong Kong people are much freer in terms of choosing their Chief Executive. Twenty-three years ago, who was electing the governor of Hong Kong? There was no democracy. There was no freedom to choose the leaders.Cole: This is what some are saying in Hong Kong. There's no freedom left. Your parallel Ambassador, China's Ambassador to the UN, he has just blocked a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the legislation. China's Ambassador to the UN tweeted that Hong Kong is purely China's internal affair. Mike Pompeo in the States is saying Hong Kong is no longer autonomous. How do you react to all of those?Ambassador Liu: Hong Kong is part of China. That’s the problem with American politicians, UK politicians. They still regard Hong Kong as a place under British colonial rule. They still think Hong Kong is part of them. That's totally wrong. Hong Kong is part of China, just like California, Florida, they're part of the United States; like here, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, they're part of the UK. So it is a central government responsibility to take care of national security. We've seen what happened last year. The violence. The riots. The terrorism. Any responsible government has to take measures to contain it, to stop this. So Hong Kong government -- I'm talking about Special Administrative Region government -- they are authorized to enact law according to Article 23 of the Basic Law to safeguard national security, to punish those who committed treason, terrorism, arson – there were seven categories of the violent crimes -- but failed. Hong Kong becomes a defenseless city. So the Central Government has to take the responsibility to address this situation.Well, let’s talk about “One Country, Two System”. It's one complete concept. You can't separate the two parts: One country is the precondition. Without one country, there will be no two systems. So you have to realize Hong Kong is part of China. Then we made a commitment that Hong Kong people will enjoy high degree of autonomy, and Hong Kong people will run their affairs. But some people, especially in the Western world, are intentionally or unintentionally, ignoring “one country”. They keep talking about “two systems”. But these two are closely connected. If “one country” is undermined, there will be no prosperous “two systems”. So that's very important. We just want to address this loophole in national security.Many people here, because of the biased media, do not realize that without security and stability, there will be no prosperity in Hong Kong. The UK has 300,000 nationals living in Hong Kong and 700 businesses in Hong Kong. I think it's not only in the interest of China but also in the interest of the UK to have a stable, peaceful and prosperous situation in Hong Kong.Ambassador Liu: If the situation as what we saw last year continues to carry on, can people enjoy a better life? Can people enjoy peaceful, stable life? The answer is no. So any responsible government will take measures to address this situation. It's timely, it’s legal and it’s reasonable.Cole: Let's move on to the economy. The analysts reckon it'll take Britain at least three years to recover from the pandemic. At the Two Sessions, China decided not to set an economic growth target for the first time in a long time because of the uncertainty over COVID-19. How do you judge the global economic situation?Ambassador Liu: You're worrying about the global situation, especially in the economic fronts. This pandemic really causes a very negative impact on the world trade, interflow of investment, even people traveling. And the difference from the impact of the 2008 financial crisis is that this pandemic causes a serious blow to the real economy. So it causes a downturn for trade, investment and the global growth. But now in China, we have achieved strategic success in containing the virus and we have started the resumption of production. I think China is now in a better place to move on. China used to be the engine and powerhouse of world economy, and we feel confident that China will continue to play that role. The reason we have this confidence is that, first, China itself is a factory. We used to call China the factory of the world. Now China will continue to play such a role. We see the economy suffer setbacks, but we should also realize that there are new opportunities emerging from this pandemic, such as online economy, cloud economy, especially the biological, medical industry. China now produces the most of the medical supplies. We have provided medical supplies to 150 countries. Second, China itself is still a big market.Cole: It is a huge market. I apologize for interrupting you, Mr. Ambassador. Very briefly: You say China's a better place to move forward now. Does that give China an economic edge over the rest of the world?Ambassador Liu: No, I can't say edge. We always believe in win-win cooperation. So that's why President Xi has been calling for building a community of shared future for mankind. When I say this pandemic brings China and the UK closer, it also brings the world closer. It really shows that we are all in this same global village, a small planet. We need to work together. So China would like to share not only our experience in containing virus, we would also like to share, as we did before, the opportunities of China's growth, China's development. And just like when it comes to China-UK relationship, we have started this “fast track” channel between our two countries. We want to facilitate people's travel, especially for the key workers. So the British businesses in China can restart as quickly as China’s economy does.Cole: A survey from Oxford University last week found that more than four out of ten people in Britain believe, to some extent, China created the virus as a bio-weapon to control the west. Now the rights and wrongs of that survey is another question, but it's a problem that a lot of people think like that, isn't it, in terms of reputation?Ambassador Liu: I think it is totally wrong to accuse China of using this virus to control the world. China is a victim. China is not a culprit. China is not a producer of this virus. As a matter of fact, China is the country that first reported this virus to the World Health Organization, the first country to identify the pathogen, and the first country to share the genetic sequence with the WHO and the rest of the world. So that's why the rest of world, especially the scientists, medical doctors, can work on the vaccine and can work together to contain this virus. The National Medical Director for NHS England, Mr. Powis, puts it very directly: Because what China did at a very early stage, that gave us time to prepare and to work on the drugs, medicine and vaccine. It's totally wrong to criticize, to accuse China of reporting late or even creating this virus. I think this is due to some American politicians who try to politicize this issue, try to shirk their responsibility to contain the spread of the virus. As we said many times, this is not a time for playing the game of scapegoating, playing the game of blaming and playing the game of stigmatizing. It's a time to work together and to fight together against this virus.Cole: You spoke about cooperation and you spoke at the CBI that you want cooperation, not confrontation, with the United States, but it takes two to tango. What do you mean by that?Ambassador Liu: Because we want to have a good relationship with the United States. We always believe that China and the US will gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. But this is our wish, our desire. You also need the United States to show the same willingness to work with us. If American politicians are blaming China every day, calling China names and try to scapegoat China for their own lack of response, there will be no good relationship. So that's why I'm saying, you need two to tango. You need to work together to build a stronger and good relationship.Cole: Can China reach out? Is there any way China can offer some form of reconciliation, because this year started very well. There was a trade deal between the US and China. But now there seems to be very serious division. Some politicians are even talking about a “cold war”. Does that worry you? And how can China reach out to the US if indeed it feels it should?Ambassador Liu: We are reaching out to the United States for good relationship during this pandemic. We always believe that China and US have the same enemy, that is, the virus. We always send a message to the other side of the Atlantic -- in China it’s the other side of the Pacific -- that China is not your enemy; your enemy is the virus. China, in fact, is your partner. We have provided billions of face masks. According to our foreign minister, every American has received on average 40 face masks imported from China. And also, many Chinese local governments, businesses, entrepreneurs, even schools and universities, and NGOs donate many medical supplies to different states in the US to help them fight this virus. I remember that Governor Cuomo of New York State spoke highly of China's contribution to help his state fight the virus. So, we want to work with the United States. We reached this trade agreement in good faith, and we told them that we're ready to implement this agreement. But it's also for the Americans to meet us halfway to work together for better relationship.Cole: Some ambassadors have been reaching out around the world and the term “wolf warrior diplomacy” has been gaining some traction online. I don’t know if you’re one of the “wolf warriors”, Mr. Ambassador, and if you could explain what “wolf warrior diplomacy” is and if they are all one of them.Ambassador Liu: I don’t think it’s correct to characterize China diplomacy as “wolf warrior diplomacy”. I think China’s foreign policy remains the same. China is a peace loving country since ancient time. Our philosophy believes that harmony is a top priority. That’s still our philosophy guiding our foreign policy, especially in modern time. President Xi proposed that we should build a community of shared future for mankind. That is our policy. You talk about the wolf warrior. The reason why there’s a warrior fighting wolf is because there are wolves in this world. There’re so many rumors, disinformation and fake news about China. Chinese diplomats need to stand up and speak out, to set the record straight, to tell people the true stories of China. So I do not regard myself as a wolf warrior. I regard myself as Chinese Ambassador in the UK building a stronger relationship between our two countries. But when there are rumors, some disinformation and fake news about China, I myself will and I also encourage my diplomats at the Embassy to speak out, to set the record straight.Cole: OK. Last question, Mr. Ambassador. In an attempt to set the record straight, China says there will be a full investigation into the pandemic just as soon as this virus is over. But that could be a year. It could be a decade. When will that investigation start?Ambassador Liu: I think it's very much up to the WHO. At the 73rd World Health Assembly, 120 countries sponsored a resolution. In this resolution all WHO members support the WHO to sponsor a review. It should be fair, independent, but it should be at an appropriate time. Now, the top priority is to fight the pandemic -- not only for the UK but also for China. We can't say we have claimed the final victory yet, because there are still sporadic cases. There are still some imported cases. So I quite agree that we have to be on alert. The UK government put forward a slogan “stay alert”. We are also staying alert exactly in China. We have to make sure there will be no rebound of this virus, and there should be no second spike. I agree with the British Health Secretary when he said that “we should focus one hundred percent” on containing, on fighting, the virus now. So this is not the time to conduct the review. But China is open to, and supportive of, the international efforts to study the origin of the virus. The purpose is to get better prepared for the next outbreak of the virus. As President Xi said, we will eventually defeat the virus, yet this will not be the last time that mankind will be faced with a pandemic. So the purpose is to study, learn lessons and summarize experience. We should let the scientists lead this review, rather than politicians. It should not be politically motivated. It should not single out certain countries or be politicized. That is very important. This is our position.Cole: Ambassador Liu, many thanks to you for joining us here on The Agenda again.Ambassador Liu: Thank you.