2021年8月6日，外交部驻港公署特派员刘光源在《南华早报》发表英文署名文章《反华敌视玷污了下阶段病毒溯源》，指出病毒溯源应秉持科学原则，不应演变为个别国家操纵的基于有罪推定的政治调查。文章当日亦在该报网页版刊登。全文如下：
反华敌视玷污了下阶段病毒溯源
今年3月，在中国全力支持下，世界卫生组织国际专家组来华开展新冠病毒溯源工作。专家们去了所有想去的地方，见到了所有想见的人，在对大量数据深入分析的基础上正式发布了中国部分的联合研究报告，得出病毒“极不可能由实验室引入”的结论，为下一步全球框架下多国多地共同开展溯源研究指明了方向。
可是为什么个别国家无视专家组的权威报告，无理针对中国搞“有罪推定”，甚至裹挟世卫组织秘书处提出令人匪夷所思的第二阶段溯源计划？究其实质，有些国家政客根本没心思搞科学的病毒溯源，而是处心积虑散播反华政治病毒，转嫁自身抗疫不力责任，妄图以疫遏华。我们看到，这些人从开始就图谋把疫情政治化、病毒污名化、溯源工具化，公然诬称“武汉病毒”，鼓吹“中国原罪论”，甚至捏造情报炒作“实验室泄漏论”，这不就是某些人当年拿着洗衣粉当“大规模杀伤性武器”证据的翻版吗？
任何溯源计划，如果不是一份真正找寻病毒的科学计划，而是设法抹黑中国的政治计划，中国不会也绝不可能接受。所谓第二阶段溯源计划，不仅偏离第73届世卫大会决议的要求，更无视第一阶段研究结论，让公开、透明、负责任的科学溯源努力付之东流。得道多助，俄罗斯等近70个国家也已致函世卫组织，表示认同第一阶段溯源研究成果，反对将溯源问题政治化。CGTN智库一项国际民调显示，84%参与投票的网民认为溯源问题被政治化，无助解决疫情大流行。
事实胜于雄辩，谎言终将破灭，一些人揣着险恶用心制造的阴谋根本站不住脚。关于所谓“实验室泄漏论”，中方已多次明确三点事实：一是2019年12月30日之前，武汉病毒研究所没有接触、保藏和研究过新冠病毒。二是该所从来没有设计、制造和泄漏新冠病毒。三是研究所职工和研究生，迄今保持新冠病毒“零感染”。一些媒体反复编造该所3人曾出现类似新冠症状，但直到现在都说不出这三人姓名，这不就是现代“莫须有”罪吗？近日《柳叶刀》发表24位国际知名医学专家的联合声明，重申新冠病毒最可能起源于自然界，而不是实验室。
病毒溯源是严肃的科学问题，中方一贯支持科学开展病毒溯源，坚决反对政治化图谋，始终以开放态度参与相关国际合作。下阶段溯源应该在第一阶段研究基础上，本着科学精神、排除政治干扰，经过世卫成员国充分讨论磋商后，在全球多国多点，重点围绕动物、早期病例等科学方向有序推进，这也是国际社会的共识。
生存权与发展权是最大的人权。过去的一年多时间，中国坚持人民至上、生命至上，付出巨大牺牲和努力，取得疫情防控阻击战重大胜利。当前国际社会首要任务仍是携手控制疫情，恢复经济，保障民生，特别要促进向发展中国家公平公正分配疫苗。病毒没有国界，甩锅没有出路，合作才是正道，任何以病毒溯源之名行政治操弄之实的拙劣行径都注定失败。
The full text is as follows:
Anti-China animosity mars next stage of coronavirus origin study plan
In March this year, a World Health Organization (WHO) team of international experts conducted the China part of a global study on the origins of Covid-19. The experts visited every place and met everyone they wanted to see.
Based on an in-depth analysis of the data, the WHO released a joint study that concluded that the introduction of the coronavirus through a laboratory incident was extremely unlikely. The study also pointed the way for the next stage of joint origin tracing in multiple countries and regions under a global framework.
Unfortunately, some countries have turned a blind eye to the report, continued to presume China guilty and even demanded the WHO Secretariat come up with a plan for the second phase of the study into the origins of Covid-19. Instead of facilitating science-based origin tracing, some politicians in these countries keep spreading the anti-China political virus, both to shift responsibility for their own botched pandemic response and to fabricate a new excuse to contain China.
From the beginning, they have politicised the pandemic, stigmatised China with terms such as “Wuhan virus” and weaponised origin tracing to bash China. A few have even peddled the so-called lab leak theory.
China will never accept any origin-tracing plan that is a political move to discredit it instead of a scientific one to identify the origins of the virus.
The work plan on a second-phase origin study is inconsistent with the 73rd World Health Assembly resolution. It also ignores the conclusions and recommendations of the first-stage research, undoing the open, transparent and responsible scientific efforts before. Nearly 70 countries have written to the WHO, agreeing with the results of the first-phase study and opposing the politicisation of origin tracing.
According to a poll by CGTN Think Tank on several online platforms, 84 per cent of respondents said they believed the tracing of Covid-19 origins had been politicised, which does not help with pandemic control. The facts speak for themselves.
The truth always comes out in the end, and conspiracy theories will inevitably go bankrupt. China has articulated three points in response to the “lab leak theory”.
First, before December 30, 2019, the Wuhan Institute of Virology had not come into contact with, preserved or studied Sars-CoV-2. Second, the institute has never designed, manufactured or leaked the virus. Third, none of the institute’s staff members or graduate students have ever been infected with the virus.
Although some media outlets have alleged that three researchers with the institute came down with symptoms similar to Covid-19, none have provided any name. What else can the claim be but a trumped-up charge?
Recently, The Lancet published an open letter from 24 scientists, reiterating that the virus most likely originated in nature and not in a laboratory. Origin tracing is a serious scientific matter.
China firmly supports science-based origin study and has participated in relevant international cooperation in an open manner, but it opposes any politicising.
Going forward, the study should build on the initial research and stay committed to the spirit of science and undistracted by politics. It should focus on tracing animal origins and investigating early cases in multiple countries and regions based on extensive consultations among WHO members, which is also the international consensus.
The rights to subsistence and development are primary human rights. During the past year, China has put people and life above everything else, made tremendous sacrifices and achieved major progress in pandemic control.
It remains the top priority of the international community to work together to control the virus, reignite the economy, protect livelihoods and promote fair and equitable vaccine distribution to developing countries.
The virus does not respect borders. Scapegoating gets one nowhere, and cooperation is the right way forward. All political manipulation under the pretext of origin tracing is doomed to fail.
Liu Guangyuan is Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the Hong Kong SAR