Jonathan Swan: In a public health crisis,
as you know, it's so important that we have
a fact-based conversation.
And you said on Face the Nation on February
9th that it was dangerous for people to be
spreading — you used the word "crazy" —
crazy rumors like that this virus originated
in a U.S. military laboratory.
Mr. Ambassador, do you know who's been spreading
that crazy conspiracy?
Ambassador Cui Tiankai: I think such an attempt
was first initiated here.
You saw my interview on Face the Nation.
We were talking about some people here saying
crazy things.
Swan: Your quote was, "There are people who
are saying that this virus — these viruses
are coming from some military lab not of China,
maybe in the United States.
How can we believe these crazy things?"
You were responding to a question about Tom
Cotton—
Tiankai: That's my position all along.
That was my position then, and that's my position
now.
I think that these questions — of course,
we have to find, eventually, we must have
an answer to where the virus originally came.
But this is a job for the scientists to do.
Not for diplomats, not for journalists to
speculate.
Because such speculation will help nobody.
It's very harmful.
So why not let our scientists do their own
professional job and give us some answer eventually?
Swan: Well, it's good to hear you say that,
Mr. Ambassador, because it was actually your
own spokesman, the spokesman for the Chinese
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zhao Lijian,
who has been spreading this conspiracy that
the virus originated in the U.S. laboratory.
Does he have any evidence to support that
theory?
Tiankai: Maybe you could go and ask him.
Swan: I mean, have you asked him?
You're the ambassador.
Tiankai: No.
I'm here representing my head of state and
my government.
Not any particular individual.
Swan: Does he speak for the Chinese government?
Does Zhao or do you?
Tiankai: I am the representative of China
in the United States.
Swan: Okay.
So we shouldn't take his words literally,
what he's saying.
We shouldn't take them as a representation
of the Chinese government, even though he's
the spokesman?
Tiankai: Well, you could try to interpret
somebody else's statement.
I'm not in the position and I don't have the
responsibility to explain everybody's view
to you.
