2020年5月5日，驻美国大使崔天凯在《华盛顿邮报》网站发表题为《指责游戏该结束了》的署名文章（5月6日刊登于该报纸质版）。英中文本对照如下：
Ignoring the facts to blame China will only make things worse
指责游戏该结束了
Since January, China has fought a tough battle against the novel coronavirus and made remarkable progress. In this unprecedented fight, China spared no expense to save lives.
今年一月以来，中国为抗击新冠肺炎疫情打了一场硬仗，进展有目共睹。在史无前例的抗疫斗争中，为了治病救人，付出代价我们在所不惜。
However, an unnecessary burden has been distracting our focus and undercutting international efforts to curb the virus: the absurd mind-set of “always blame China.”
遗憾的是，重负之下我们还承受了一些无端的负担，那就是为了应付“逢中必反”荒谬思维而被转移的精力。这种思维还严重离间国际社会团结、损害抗疫努力。
Simply put, for some people, China has to be wrong, regardless of the facts.
简言之，“逢中必反”派认为中国必须是错的，不论事实如何。
When China took the decisive step to lock down Wuhan, critics dismissed the move as a medieval practice that violated human rights, something typical of an “authoritarian” China. When China provided updates about the outbreak, they labeled objective facts as disinformation and propaganda. The nature of China’s political system dominates the content of their attacks, and the Communist Party is the ultimate target of their barrage.
他们抨击中国断然封城封省是中世纪的做法，“专制”中国又在侵犯人权。他们把中方始终公开、透明、负责任地向国内外通报疫情，说成是在传播虚假信息和宣传活动。他们还动辄挞伐中国的政治体制，总想把火引向中国共产党。
As China’s situation improved, the number of confirmed cases and fatalities skyrocketed elsewhere. Promptly, a few American politicians switched to their default setting of blaming others, ignoring that China has done its best in responding to a new virus. They persistently accuse China of delays and coverups, and some even demand a reckoning with China.
当中国抗疫努力取得积极成效、中国境外确诊病例数和死亡数却无情上升时，他们随即改口，无视中方为应对这一种全新病毒所做的积极努力，指责中国没有及时提出预警，隐瞒实际感染数量，一些人还叫嚣着要向中国追责、索赔。
China was blamed for providing second-rate supplies with quality-control problems. When measures were taken to ensure the products’ quality, China was criticized for hoarding supplies and holding up exports. Conspiracy theories abound — and all point to China’s “geopolitical strategies.”
他们还指责中国出口有质量问题的防护物资。看到中方为确保物资质量和有序出口出台了相关措施，就转口批评中国囤积医疗物资并阻滞出口。阴谋论是必不可少的调料，他们认为中方一定是要借此攫取地缘政治利益的。
The World Health Organization has spoken highly of China’s epidemic response, which led the conspiracy theorists to charge that China has either bought the WHO or exerted political pressure on the agency. Naturally, the WHO has been lambasted for taking sides and being incompetent.
因为世界卫生组织自始至终高度赞赏中国抗疫举措和成效，他们就诬蔑中国对其出资了或者施压了，断定世卫组织连带犯有偏袒和管控不力之错。
Is China really to blame? Here are some facts:
但是中国有没有错，只需让事实说话。
First, China has taken strict measures and made huge sacrifices to keep the virus in check, which not only saved lives at home but also bought precious time for the world.
首先，有目共睹，正是得益于中国政府采取的最严格的防控举措、中国人民作出的巨大牺牲，中国的抗疫工作才取得了今天的阶段性成果，最大程度地保护了中国人民的生命安全和身体健康，也为阻止疫情在世界蔓延争取了宝贵时间。
Second, China has done its best to share information about the virus. On Dec. 27, a doctor in Hubei province reported three suspicious cases. In the following four days, local and central governments conducted investigations on the ground. On Jan. 3 — within a week — China began briefing the WHO, the United States and other countries about the outbreak. On Jan. 12, China released the whole genome sequence of the coronavirus, which has proved critical for diagnosis and treatment of the disease globally.
其次，面对这种全新病毒的侵袭，中方已尽力做到公开、透明、负责任通报。2019年12月27日，湖北省一位医生第一时间上报了3个可疑病例，此后的4天时间里，湖北方面和中央层面先后开展了实地调查。2020年1月3日，仅仅一周之内，中方开始正式向世卫组织以及包括美国在内的世界各国及时主动通报信息。1月12日，中国又及时向世界公布了新型冠状病毒全基因组序列，为有关国家确诊、治疗及疫苗研发等提供了重要前提。
Third, we shared information with the United States at the earliest possible time and have been supporting its fight against the disease. The two countries’ centers for disease control and prevention and government agencies have been in close communication since Jan. 4, the day after China briefed the WHO. In their phone calls, President Xi Jinping gave detailed accounts of China’s measures to President Trump.
再次，我们早就跟美方分享了信息，也一直在支持美方抗疫努力。1月4日以来，两国疾控中心及主管部门一直就疫情保持着沟通。更值得一提的是，习近平主席在过去两个月与特朗普总统的两度通话中，亲自详细介绍了中方为打好疫情防控阻击战采取的举措。
By April 29, China had provided, according to our customs figures, more than 4 billion masks to the United States, or roughly 14 for every American on average.
截至4月29日，我们向美方提供了44.46亿只口罩，按人均分配，每个美国人差不多可以拥有14只来自中国的口罩。
There is no denying that the first known case of covid-19 was reported in Wuhan. But this means only that Wuhan was the first victim of the virus. To ask a victim for compensation is simply ridiculous.
诚然，从目前掌握的情况看，已知的第一个新冠肺炎病例发生在武汉，这只能说明武汉是病毒最早的受害者。要求受害者赔偿荒唐至极，也挑战了人道精神。
If that made sense, then who was to compensate for the fatalities of the H1N1 flu and HIV/AIDS? Who was to pay for the huge losses caused by the 2008 financial crisis?
按照这个逻辑，如果有人问，谁来为H1N1流感作出赔偿？谁来为艾滋病作出赔偿？谁来为2008年全球金融危机造成的巨大损失作出赔偿？我们该如何回答？
Behind the mind-set of “always blame China” is a kind of dirty politics, championed by a few people who shift the spotlight for political gain. In their manipulation, China has to be wrong.
“逢中必反”的背后是肮脏的政治，反映了一小撮人通过转移民众注意力来追逐自身狭隘政治利益的企图。在他们的操作中，中国必须是错的。
It is this blame-shifting that needs transparency.
最需要曝光、最需要透明的恰恰是“逢中必反”背后的政治图谋。
Blaming China will not end this pandemic. On the contrary, the mind-set risks decoupling China and the United States and hurting our efforts to fight the disease, our coordination to reignite the global economy, our ability to conquer other challenges and our prospects of a better future. The United States would not emerge as a winner from this scenario.
怪罪中国不能结束这场疫情。相反，“逢中必反”将把中美推向脱钩，贻误合作抗疫的努力，以及后续恢复经济增长、应对其他全球性挑战的合作，也将黯淡我们缔造美好未来的前景。这么做，美国从中得不到任何好处。
It is time to end the blame game. It is time to focus on the disease and rebuild trust between our two countries. As President Abraham Lincoln called for “the better angels” in his inauguration speech, I hope that the wisdom of preceding generations will guide us to choose the right side of history and work for our shared future together.
指责游戏该结束了。中美之间亟待修复互信，把力用到合作抗疫上来。林肯总统曾经在他的就职演说中呼唤“善良的天使”。希望先贤的良知能引导更多的人站到历史正确的一边，站到休戚与共、同舟共济的人类命运共同体理念一边。
