美国国务院
发言人办公室
华盛顿哥伦比亚特区（Washington, D.C.）
2020年4月7日
国务卿迈克尔·蓬佩奥（Michael R. Pompeo）对新闻界发表讲话
新闻简报室（Press Briefing Room）
国务卿蓬佩奥：….
*          *          *          *
目前这些日子最受到关注的问题是冠状病毒。我想谈谈国务院每星期7天，每天24小时不间断地在世界范围内努力从全球各地撤回美国公民的一些详细情况。这是美国有史以来最杰出的外交使命之一。截至今天上午，我们的团队冒着极大的个人危险已安排460多个航班，从世界各地75个国家撤回了45,000多名公民。
我的办公桌上几乎每一天都会收到一些难以置信的消息，报告我们的团队坚持不懈地快速将我方人员撤回国内的情况，情节可与好莱坞（Hollywood）大片相媲美，的确令人感到振奋。我会给大家介绍一两个事例。
在尼泊尔，美国一些旅游者发现他们被困在喜马拉雅山（Mount Everest）和其他偏远地区。我国使馆获得该国政府的特别许可，安排15座的商用飞机在危险的山区往返飞行。使馆人员安排大客车行驶数百英里接美国公民到加德满都（Kathmandu）上飞机，最后返回美国。我们甚至帮助一名药品快用完的妇女到药房配药，然后随第一批两个航班的近600名美国公民和居民一起撤走。
*          *          *          *
我希望美国人民更好地了解每一次撤侨行动险情迭出的后勤协调工作和有关细节。的确，这不仅是因为我们跨时区工作团队的杰出表现，也关系到与国土安全部（Department of Homeland Security）、美国军队的合作，以及与我们外国伙伴的各级人员申请运输授权的工作，以及航空公司和医疗团队前往需要的地方接有关人员回国所作的一切努力。
为了接他们回国，我们的团队随时印发紧急护照。我们联系旅馆，为美国公民安排住宿，确保他们临近机场，等待飞机到来。我们还为机组人员做了安排。我们为美国人提供了安全通行的信件。诸事繁多，不及备载。这的确是美国政府代表美国人民做所的一件大好事。
我希望诸位都认识到，在这场全球疫情爆发之际，美国仍然是引领全世界光芒万丈的人道主义善举的国家。
目前，鉴于我国十分缺乏个人防护用品，我们的重点是保障美国关键的医疗物资，直至这里的需要得到满足为止。但是此时此刻美国仍继续为我们全球各地的伙伴提供高质量、透明和有意义的援助。
我们这样做是因为我们心地善良，乐于助人。我们这样做还因为病毒不受边界限制。我们帮助海外的朋友，也可以保障我们在国内的安全。
今天，我可以确认，我们准备追加2.25亿美元的卫生、人道主义和经济援助，进一步促进全世界的抗疫努力。这笔款项在我们已经为全球各地64个国家提供的大约2.74亿美元援款之外。没有任何国家可以与这个水平的慷慨援助相比拟。
我今天宣布的新资金将用于通过病毒诊断、预防和控制减少传播；加强医疗系统；准备实验室；培训医务人员；提高认识，以及许许多多方面。
我们为帮助这些其他国家从而使我们这里更安全所做的努力已经见效。我们将抗击病毒的公共服务通告翻译成将近50种语言。我们帮助危地马拉建立了该国第一所治疗冠状病毒病患者的主要医院。我们正在为学校关闭了的柬埔寨儿童在网上上课提供支持。
*          *          *          *
就那个话题，再提一点。好消息。我想请各位注意埃博拉（Ebola）病毒。
迄今将近两年，美国率领国际社会在刚果民主共和国抗击上次爆发的那个可怕疾病。在疫情爆发后的一个月之内，美国派出了灾害救援队（Disaster Assistance Response Team）和其他专家，为疫苗接种、诊断程序、检测和追踪以及其他许多工作提供支持。自从埃博拉疫情开始以来，我们为在刚果民主共和国和周边国家抗击埃博拉提供了超过5.69亿美元。
由于我们的努力，我今天高兴地宣布，刚果民主共和国可望在4月12日宣布疫情正式结束。那时将是最后一个人经两次测试结果呈阴性并从埃博拉治疗中心出院后42天，也就是在埃博拉的整整两个潜伏期过后。美国的援助，美国人民的善良，使这个胜利成为可能。它对我们继续同冠状病毒病搏斗是一个鼓舞。
*          *          *          *
问：先生，你是为了给同中国的言辞降温而停止使用武汉病毒这个词吗，尽管美国情报报告说他们的假信息正在增多？… .
国务卿蓬佩奥：… .
*          *          *          *
你的第一个问题是关于我们正在看到的假信息。我们知道这是一场全球大流行疫情，是一个需要所有国家共同努力解决问题的时候。要做到这点，就必须坦诚和透明。每个国家都有这个责任。我们每天在尽我们的最大努力这样做，提供我们所知道的真实数据，我们学到的东西。我们通过正式公开渠道这样做。总统和团队，特别工作队，每天都出来用个把个小时，以我们掌握的最佳信息，向美国人民说明正在发生的情况。我们在私下这样做；我们在我们的讨论中这样做。我整个上午都在与哈萨克斯坦和埃及的同僚交流我们正在掌握的情况，我们的最佳做法。卫生与公众服务部（HHS）也在这样做。疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）也在这样做。
但是我们有一个期待。这个期待是，每个国家也将这样做，每个国家，无论是民主国家与否，都必须以透明、公开、有效率的方式分享这种信息。我们——仍然有许多东西我们不知道。只有当所有各方都能得到成套数据——全球成套数据——的时候，我们才能知道那些。它必须精确，必须及时，不能是勉强不情愿的。我们需要让国际社会各方的科学家——国家不重要，最优秀的科学家居首位——观察这些数据，研究这些数据，一道合作。如果一些国家以不符合这个中心理念的方式行事，就无法做到这点。
合作理念不仅仅是说“是啊，没问题，我们将合得来，我们很高兴与你合得来”。合作理念的含义要多得多，要充实得多。它需要透明、及时和开放。我们有期待，我们在向所有国家说明这个期待。
问：你对于领导人利用冠状病毒在他们的国家削弱民主有多么关切？有匈牙利这个具体实例，国务院已经做出了评论。你在其他地方看到这种情况了吗，美国政府可以使用或考虑使用哪些方式来防止这种民主倒退？
国务卿蓬佩奥：瑞奇（Rich），我——我们谈到过那种具体情况。我们希望那不在任何地方发生，而且我们将会——利用我们在外交方面拥有的正常的方式方法来在我们看到发生那种情况的地方予以应对。会有恶劣的行为者妄图利用这场病毒疫情来达到邪恶目的。我们已经看到了那种情况。我们已经看到了有关伎俩，以及你所描述的，当它具有政治性的时候。
但有一种想法是存在的，我认为应当指出。我听到人们这样说，独裁政权真能很好地应对危机啊。我必须告诉你们，他们完全搞错了。很好地应对危机的是民主国家。他们捍卫自主；他们捍卫自由。而独裁政权面对危机会怎么做？他们变得更加嚣张，他们剥夺人们的权利，他们会说更多的谎言——是的——他们都会做——独裁国家所有的消极的方面在危机时刻都会进一步恶化。尽管他们可能在某些情况下以一种特定方式解决一个特定问题，表面看似解决了摆在他们面前的危机，但最终他们会给本国人民造成巨大的伤害，并且将全世界其他地区置于风险之中。
民主国家所做的正是你们看到的美国所做的。我今天已经谈到这一点：他们把同胞接回家，他们变得非常慷慨，他们分享他们的资源，他们帮助整个世界抗击这场全球流行的疫情。你们已经看到总统和他的特别工作组谈到我们正在疗法方面所进行的所有卓越工作，美国为提供一种疫苗而进行的所有卓越工作。而且我们正在同我们在全世界的民主伙伴共同努力，帮助做到这些。
民主才是危机时刻的解决方式，而不是向一种独裁的方向发展。这与我认为你所描述的在那里看到的情况恰恰相反。我希望全世界每一位领导人都将看到在艰难时刻，你们真正想要的是你们要让一国人民知道他们的根本权利将会得到尊重，他们的自由将得到保留，那些民主价值观将得到遵守。你们这样做的时候，就会有一个自由媒体，以及一个自由、活跃的学术界。你们将得到最终会以一种有益于领导人所代表的国家并且有益于整个世界的方式解决这些危机的所有一切。
*        *        *        *

Secretary Michael R. Pompeo Remarks to the Press
04/07/2020 02:34 PM EDT
Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State
Washington, D.C.
Press Briefing Room
SECRETARY POMPEO:
Now to the topic of greatest concern these days, the coronavirus.  I’d like to speak in some detail about the State Department’s 24/7, worldwide efforts to repatriate American citizens from around the globe.  It’s one of the most remarkable diplomatic missions in American history.  As of this morning, our team – working at great personal risk – has repatriated more than 45,000 citizens from across the world – 460-plus flights, 75 countries.
Nearly every day, incredible stories of our teams’ speed and tenacity getting our people home hit my desk.  These stories could be pulled from a Hollywood script, they’re remarkable.  I’ll share just a couple with you.
In Nepal, American tourists found themselves stranded near Mount Everest and other remote areas.  Our embassy obtained special permits from the government for 15-passenger commercial planes to fly in and out of that dangerous mountain terrain.  Embassy staff arranged buses to travel hundreds of miles to reach U.S. citizens and bring them back to Kathmandu to board flights that ultimately came back here to the United States.  We even helped one woman who was running low on medication reach a pharmacy, and evacuated her out of the first two flights that carried nearly 600 U.S. citizens and residents.
…
I want the American people to have a better sense of the staggering logistical coordination and detail that goes into every one of these repatriation operations.  They’re truly the good work of not only our team that works across time zones, but works with the Department of Homeland Security, the United States Military, and our foreign partners at every level to get transport authorities and airline companies and medical teams all to where they need to be to get these people home.
Our teams are printing emergency passports to get these folks back.  We call hotels to find spaces for U.S. citizens to sleep to make sure they’re near the airport for the moment that the plane will arrive, and we make arrangements for flight crews.  And we provide Americans with letters for safe passage.  The list goes on and on.  It’s truly a great piece of work by the United States Government on behalf of the American people.
I want everyone to be reminded that America remains the world’s leading light of humanitarian goodness as well amidst this global pandemic.
Right now, given the great need for PPE in our own country, our focus will be on keeping critical medical items in the United States until demand is met here.  But the United States continues, even as we speak, to provide high-quality, transparent, and meaningful assistance to our partners all across the globe.
We do this because we’re good and generous people.  We also do it because viruses don’t respect borders.  When we help our friends abroad, it keeps us safe back here in the homeland as well.
Today I can confirm that we are prepared to commit an additional $225 million in health, humanitarian, and economic assistance to further boost response efforts worldwide.  That’s on top of the roughly $274 million in funding we’ve already deployed to 64 countries across the globe.  No country can match this level of generosity.
The new funding that I announced today will be used to reduce transmission through virus diagnosis, prevention and control; to bolster health systems; to prepare labs; to train healthcare workers; to increase awareness; and much, much more.
Our efforts to help these other countries to keep us safer here have already had an impact.  We’ve translated PSAs on fighting the virus into almost 50 languages.  We helped Guatemala set up its main hospital for COVID patients.  We’re supporting online learning for kids in Cambodia whose schools are closed.
…
And on that theme, one more note.  Good news.  I’d like to draw your attention to the Ebola virus.
For almost two years now, the United States has led the global response to the latest outbreak of that horrible disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Within one month from the outbreak, America deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team and other experts who supported vaccination campaigns, diagnostic processes, testing and tracing, and more.  We’ve provided more than $569 million since the outbreak began to fight Ebola in the DRC and the neighboring countries.
Thanks to our efforts, I’m pleased to announce today that on April 12th the DRC is expected to declare this outbreak is officially over.  It will be 42 days – two full incubation periods for the disease –  since the last person tested negative twice and was released from an Ebola treatment center.  American assistance, the goodness of the American people, helped make this victory possible.  It’s an inspiration for our continued efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
QUESTION:  Sir, have you stopped using the phrase Wuhan virus to lower the temperature of the rhetoric with China, even as U.S. intelligence reports their disinformation is rising?
SECRETARY POMPEO:
Your first question was about disinformation that we’re seeing.  We know that this is a global pandemic, and this is the time for every country to work together to resolve that.  To do that, you have to be honest and transparent.  Every country has that obligation.  We do our best to do that every day, to deliver the real data about the things we know, the things we learn.  We do it in formal public channels.  There’s a couple hours every day where the President and the team, the task force team, come out and talk to the American people about what’s going on with the best information that we have available.  We do that privately; we do that in our discussions.  I was on the phone all morning with counterparts from Kazakhstan and from Egypt to share with them the things we’re learning, the best practices we have.  HHS is doing the same thing.  CDC is doing the same thing.
But we have an expectation.  That expectation is that every country will do that the same way, and every nation, be they a democracy or not, has to share this information in a transparent, open, efficient way.  We – there are still lots of things we don’t know.  We can only know them when the data set – the global data set – is available to every party.  It has to be accurate, it has to be timely, it can’t be grudging.  We need to let scientists from all across the global community – nation immaterial, best scientist wins – stare at this data, work on this data, and collaborate together.  And you can’t do that if nations choose to behave in ways that are inconsistent with that central idea.
The idea of cooperation is more than just saying, “Yeah, sure, we’ll get along, we’re happy to get along with you.”  The idea of cooperation entails so much more.  It’s so much more substantive than that.  It needs to be transparent and timely and open.  We have an expectation and we’re communicating that expectation to every country.
QUESTION:  How concerned are you about leaders using coronavirus to weaken democracies in their countries?  There is this specific example of Hungary, which the State Department has commented on.  Are you seeing that elsewhere, and what tools does the U.S. Government have at its disposal or would consider using to prevent that democratic backsliding?
SECRETARY POMPEO:  So, Rich, I – we talked about that particular situation.  We hope that doesn’t happen anywhere, and we’ll do the thing that – the normal toolkit that we have in diplomacy to respond where we see that taking place.  There will be bad actors try to use this outbreak of virus for nefarious ends.  We’ve seen that.  We’ve seen it in tactical ways, as well as you describe, when it’s political.
But there is a thought that’s there that I think is important.  I hear people saying that, boy, autocracies sure respond to crises well.  I have to tell you they got the wrong end of the stick.  It’s democracies that respond to crises well.  They protect liberty; they protect freedom.  What do autocracies do in the face of crisis?  They become more aggressive, they deny people their rights, they lie more – right – they do all – all the things that are the negative aspects of autocratic nations are exacerbated in times of crisis.  And while they may in some instance solve a particular problem in a particular way that facially resolves the crisis that’s in front of them, in the end they do enormous harm to the people of their own nation and put the rest of the world at risk as well.
What democracies do is what you see the United States doing.  I talked about it today.  They get their people home, they become very generous, they share their resources, they help the entire world fight the global pandemic.  You’ve seen the President and his task force talk about all the remarkable work we’re doing on therapeutics, all the remarkable work that the United States is doing towards delivering a vaccine.  And we’re working with our democratic partners around the world to help deliver that.
No, democracy is the answer in times of crisis, not moving in an autocratic direction.  It’s just the reverse of what I think you described having seen there.  I hope every leader around the world will see that when times are tough, what you really want is you want peoples of a nation to understand that their fundamental rights are going to be respected, that their liberty will be preserved, that those democratic values will be adhered to.  And when you do that, you get a free press, you get a free, active academia.  You get all the things that ultimately resolve these crises in a way that’s good for the nation that the leaders represent and good for the world as well.