According to the Chinese embassy posted on June 3, the evening of June 1 2020, ambassador liu xiaoming attended the British sky news special programs after the outbreak of our new online interview, and former Irish President Mary Robinson, a former British foreign secretary David miliband, the American historian niall ferguson, a global influence, China’s resistance to disease of epidemic, the outbreak of independent investigation, such as climate change, the situation in Hong Kong to discuss, online and answer questions from the audience.
The talk show is hosted by Sky’s famous presenter, Monahan.
The TV, website, new media platform for live broadcast.
The transcript of Ambassador Liu’s questions and answers is as follows:

Monahan: First of all, would you please talk about the opportunities and challenges facing our world?

Ambassador Liu: What will be the impact of the epidemic?
Will the world unite, or become more divided?
There is a lot of discussion around this issue.
I think the epidemic will bring the world together.
The epidemic once again proves that mankind lives in a global village.
As President Xi Jinping said, we should strive to build a community with a Shared future for mankind.
In my view, the epidemic once again shows that the international community should strengthen cooperation.
Facts have shown that all countries that have joined hands to fight coVID-19, supported the WHO, listened to the WHO’s recommendations and supported multilateralism are under effective control.
Countries that rejected international cooperation and who recommendations paid a heavy price.
The epidemic has proved that no country, no matter how strong it is, can be immune to the virus, because the virus knows no borders and no race.

Monahan: Speaking of international investigations, the central question is: is China responsible for the crisis?
Will independent investigators be allowed to enter Chinese territory to conduct field investigations?

Ambassador Liu: Of course we welcome the international review.
But the purpose of the review is not to label any country, but to cover all countries closely associated with the epidemic.
At the World Health Assembly, we joined with 120 WHO member states in supporting the international community’s review of this outbreak at the appropriate time, with a view to building lessons learned to better respond to major communicable diseases in the future.
The deliberations must be independent, exclude political interference, be science-based and scientist-led.

Monahan: Who does China think should lead the investigation?

Ambassador Liu: It should be led by the World Health Organization.
All countries should participate, especially the major ones.
I disagree with what Ferguson has just said.
His criticism of China’s slow response is untrue.
Much of what Mr. Ferguson said was wrong, including the fact that many flights from Wuhan continued to fly to other countries during the lockdown.
This is wrong.
All flights were grounded after Wuhan was closed on January 23.
No flights, no trains, no external traffic.
China was the first country to report the outbreak to WHO, the first to isolate the pathogen, and the first to share the full genetic sequence of the virus with WHO and other countries.
China has wasted no time in sharing information and prevention and control experience with other countries.

Monahan: Many Chinese flights have not been grounded since the closure of Wuhan, which has caused the epidemic to spread to many countries. Isn’t that a serious problem?

Ambassador Liu: Your information is totally wrong.
Wuhan has been cut off from the outside world, with no flights at all.
I am sorry to hear much of Ferguson’s cold war rhetoric here. I know Ferguson but I do not know why he is so interested in cold war with China.
China is not the Soviet Union.
As a historian, you should study Chinese history carefully.
China has compiled a list of 24 lies and facts about the epidemic. I can send it to you.
Who’s appreciation of China’s efforts should not undermine the role of WHO.
Who is a major international organization with 194 member states.

Monahan: Is China responsible for the epidemic?
For a long time, China denied the transmission of the virus from animals to people and from person to person. You did not tell the world the truth in time.

Ambassador Liu: I have made it clear to you that China notified the WHO as soon as possible without any delay.
Novel Coronavirus is a novel virus.
In the face of unknown new viruses, we must adopt a responsible attitude, which requires serious and responsible research by scientists.
China identified the virus 11 days after the first case was detected and immediately notified the WHO, while sharing information with relevant countries.
China has nothing to hide and nothing to delay.
China’s anti-epidemic record is clear and clear, which can stand the test of time and history.
I would also like to point out that just because China was the first to report the outbreak does not mean that the virus originated in China.
The origin of the virus needs to be explored by scientists.
With the development of the situation, we have seen some reports that the United States, Italy and other countries have found earlier cases than China.
Therefore, we should adopt a scientific attitude towards the problem of virus tracing.

Monahan: Will China agree to reform who?

Ambassador Liu: Of course.
The outbreak response reflects some of WHO’s shortcomings, including inadequate response capacity and resources, how to respond faster and more effectively, and how to help the poorest and least able countries fight the epidemic.
Reform can come after we have overcome the epidemic.
As the epidemic continues to spread around the world, it is imperative to work in solidarity and support WHO in leading the fight against the epidemic.

Monahan: As the world’s largest emitter, what steps will China take to maintain the current temporary reduction in emissions during the epidemic?

Ambassador Liu: China firmly supports the Paris Agreement and earnestly fulfills its obligations.
China has completed its carbon emission reduction plan three years ahead of schedule, and in 2018, its carbon emission intensity will be reduced by 45.8% over 2005.
China’s energy consumption per unit of GDP fell 2.6 percent year on year in 2019.
China is the world’s largest investor in new and renewable energy.
China is committed to tackling climate change.
China was scheduled to host the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) before the end of this year.

Monahan: When does China plan to hold COP15?

Ambassador Liu: Because of the epidemic, the exact time has not been finalized.
This year was supposed to be a year of china-UK cooperation on environmental protection.
The UK has moved the 26th SESSION of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) to November next year, but we are still in close contact with our UK colleagues online to ensure the success of both conferences.

Monahan: I have a question about rebuilding trust and the novel Coronavirus vaccine competition.
We are seeing China and some countries leading the way in vaccine development.
If China develops an effective vaccine, will China be willing to share it with the world at the lowest possible price in order to rebuild trust?

Ambassador Liu: Of course.
At the World Health Assembly, President Xi Jinping solemnly declared that China’s COVID-19 vaccine, when fully developed and put into use, will become a global public good, especially to make vaccines accessible and affordable to developing countries.
China is a world leader in vaccine research and development. Five of our vaccines have entered phase II clinical trials, and we are willing to share them with other countries.
China is also cooperating with scientists from Britain and the United States in research and development.

Just now, you showed a chart showing that the so-called “Reputation of China has been damaged”. I do not agree with this conclusion.
It depends on where you get the information.
I can give you some information.
At the beginning of this year, The Trust Barometer, published by Edelman, the largest independent public relations company in the US, showed that 82 per cent of people in China trusted their government, the highest of any country surveyed.
In addition, according to a recent survey of 23 economies by Blackbox Research, a Singapore-based independent pollster, Chinese citizens’ satisfaction with their government’s response to the epidemic is the highest, with a combined score of 85%, ranking first again.

Monahan: We also want to hear from Ambassador Liu about the lack of trust in the government, especially among the younger generation.
This lack of trust can be seen on the streets of Hong Kong, “where the Chinese government cracks down on pro-democracy protesters”.

Ambassador Liu: The situation in Hong Kong is far from the Chinese government cracking down on pro-democracy protesters. What is happening on the streets of Hong Kong is ongoing illegal violence.
These activities endanger China’s national security.
Some violent activists stormed the Legislative Council of Hong Kong and even set fire to innocent people. If the same thing happened on the streets of London, if rioters stormed the British Parliament, how would the UK react?
Will the British government and police just sit back and let it happen?
I think any responsible government would take action.
On the other hand, one should not forget the great success of “one country, two systems” in Hong Kong since its return 23 years ago…
.

Monahan: Sorry, we’re out of time.
I want to thank all the guests.
Thank you, Ambassador Liu.