Liu Xiaoming: Is China a victim of Covid-19 or the source of the problem?
The Interview
BBC
4.3 • 537 Ratings
🗓️ 1 May 2020
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
As the global effort to control Covid-19 continues so arguments about culpability for the spread of the pandemic intensify. At the centre of the story is China, where the outbreak began. Did the Chinese government’s impulse to cover up the truth cost the world dear? Or did China respond with admirable determination? Stephen Sackur speaks to the veteran Chinese Ambassador in London Liu Xiaoming. Is China the villain or the hero of this pandemic?
(Photo: Chinese Ambassador in London Liu Xiaoming. on the Andrew Marr show, 9 February, 2020. Credit: Reuters)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to a podcast from the BBC World Service. This is Hard Talk with me, Stephen Sacker. |
| 0:07.0 | Thanks for downloading this edition of the program. I do hope you enjoy it. |
| 0:11.6 | Welcome to Hard Talk on the BBC World Service with me, Stephen Sacker. My guest today is one of China's most senior diplomats. |
| 0:20.0 | Liu Xiaoming has been Beijing's man in London for a decade, |
| 0:23.7 | and before that he'd held another challenging post, Chinese ambassador in North Korea. He is a trusted |
| 0:31.1 | pair of hands, representing the Communist Party leadership on the world stage. And never has the need for proactive diplomacy |
| 0:40.2 | been more urgent. China has serious questions to answer about its handling of the first outbreak |
| 0:46.9 | and subsequent spread of COVID-19. Critics say there is ample evidence to show China's rulers |
| 0:53.9 | attempted to cover up the truth. |
| 0:57.2 | There are calls for an independent investigation. The facts must be exposed, they say, to ensure |
| 1:03.3 | the same mistakes and missteps are never made again. China, on the other hand, portrays itself as |
| 1:10.7 | the leader of the global effort to defeat |
| 1:13.4 | the virus. Even while the pandemic is still wreaking havoc worldwide, political posturing and point |
| 1:20.6 | scoring has begun. China's role is key, but is it villain or hero? Well, Ambassador Liu Xiaoming joins me now. Welcome to Hard Talk. |
| 1:31.3 | Thank you to be with you again. We are delighted to have you on our program at this difficult time. Let me start |
| 1:37.6 | actually with a very simple direct question. Do you accept that COVID-19 has its origins in China? |
| 1:47.4 | It's first discovered in Wuhan, but I can't say it originated from Wuhan. |
| 1:56.9 | You know, according to many information, many reports, including BBC, you know, it can be |
| 2:04.6 | everywhere and anywhere. You know, it can be in the aircraft carriers, it can be found in the |
| 2:10.9 | submarine, and it can be found in some countries which has a very little connection with China and also can be found in the countries, which has a very little connection with China, and also can be found |
| 2:20.3 | in the group of people who never been to China. So I couldn't say, we cannot say, it's originated |
| 2:27.6 | from China. Let me stop you there, because I'm a little confused by that answer. I mean, |
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