中国捐赠600万美元助西非应对埃博拉

The Chinese government, eager to show it is committed to the fight against the Ebola epidemic, announced on Monday that it was donating $6 million to the United Nations World Food Program. The assistance is to be divided equally among the three West African countries hardest hit by the epidemic: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

中国政府为了显示其为抗击埃博拉疫情作贡献的决心，在周一宣布已向联合国世界粮食计划署捐赠了600万美元。这笔捐款将平均分配给疫情最严重的三个西非国家：几内亚、利比里亚，以及塞拉利昂。

The donation comes as the outbreak has contributed to serious food shortages. Borders and markets have been closed, flights have been canceled and livestock and crops have been abandoned as people try to flee to areas perceived to be safer.

此次捐赠是在疫情爆发导致严重的粮食短缺之际作出的。边境和市场被关闭，航班被取消，以及由于人们试图逃往他们认为是较安全的地区，遗弃了作物和家畜。

The World Health Organization has said the epidemic, which since March has infected more than 9,200 people and killed nearly 5,000, is on the verge of widening into a food crisis. At a meeting at the United Nations compound in Beijing on Monday, a spokesman for the World Food Program said that China’s donation would help the agency purchase vital food staples such as rice, lentils and fortified cereals to feed 300,000 people for one month.

世界卫生组织曾表示，疫情正处在扩大为粮食危机的边缘，自三月份以来，埃博拉病毒已导致9,200多人被感染，有近5000人因病死亡。在联合国驻北京办事处周一召开的记者会上，世界粮食计划署的一位代表说，中国的捐赠为该机构购买重要的粮食补给，比如大米、扁豆，以及强化谷类食品提供了帮助，将能为30万人提供一个月的粮食供应。

The World Food Program is seeking to raise $179 million by February for emergency food aid to help patients in Ebola treatment centers, increase supplies in affected areas and feed Ebola survivors, many of whom have suffered severe weight loss because of the disease and need enhanced nutrition during recovery.

世界粮食计划署希望在明年二月前筹集到1.79亿美元的紧急粮食援助，以帮助在埃博拉病毒治疗中心的患者，也为受疾病影响的地区增加供给，以及为埃博拉病毒的幸存者提供食物，他们中有许多人因为患病导致体重严重下降，需要加强营养以更好地康复。

China is one of 10 countries that have contributed to the World Food Program’s effort, joining the United States, which donated $12.6 million, and Japan, which gave $6 million. The donation announced on Monday brings the Chinese government’s contribution in the fight against Ebola to $38 million, portions of which have gone to the World Food Program, the World Health Organization, the African Union and directly to individual African countries.

中国是已为世界粮食计划署的努力做出贡献的10个国家之一，美国为此项目捐赠了1260万美元，日本也已捐赠了600万美元。周一宣布的这笔捐赠把中国政府为抗击埃博拉病毒提供的援助总价值增加到3800万美元，这些捐赠分别是向世界粮食计划署、世界卫生组织、以及非洲联盟提供的，也有直接给非洲国家的。

The latest donation comes after China, which is a leading trading partner to many African countries and whose companies are heavily invested in the continent, has been urged to take a more active role in the Ebola fight. With about one million Chinese citizens living in Africa, including 20,000 in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, China has also faced criticism for not sending as many personnel as the United States, which has committed 4,000 troops to West Africa this month and donated $175 million.

中国是许多非洲国家的主要贸易伙伴，中国公司在非洲大陆有巨额投资，最近这笔捐是在人们敦促中国在抗击埃博拉病毒的战斗中起更积极的作用之后做出的。中国还有约100万公民在非洲生活，其中有2万在几内亚、利比里亚和塞拉利昂，因此也有人批评中国在派出救援人员上做得不如美国，美国已经承诺派4000名部队人员本月前往西非，并已捐赠了1.75亿美元。

Chinese officials have portrayed China as being at the forefront of the Ebola fight, emphasizing the importance of humanitarian aid in Chinese foreign policy. At the meeting on Monday, Liu Junfeng, deputy director general of the Department of Aid to Foreign Countries, reiterated that China was one of the first countries to respond to the Ebola crisis, sending medical teams and equipment, and helping distribute rations on the ground in Liberia and Guinea. In September, two Chinese aircraft also arrived in Africa carrying mobile laboratories for Ebola disease control and prevention.

中国官员一直把中国描绘为处在与埃博拉病毒战斗的最前沿，强调人道主义援助是中国外交政策中的重要部分。在周一的新闻发布会上，中国商务部援外司副司长刘俊峰再次指出，中国是首批对埃博拉危机做出响应的国家之一，向非洲派遣了医疗人员和物资，还在利比里亚和几内亚的发病区帮助向当地居民发放口粮。九月份，两架载有移动实验室的中国飞机抵达非洲，以开展埃博拉病毒的控制和预防工作。

“Humanitarian aid plays a vital role in Chinese foreign policy; it shows that China reacts to international appeals, providing aid and cash to minimize the impact of disasters,” Mr. Liu said. “With regard to the food shortages, China considers this of great importance, and has pledged $2 million to each of three countries to provide food aid to the local population.”

“人道主义援助是中国外交政策的重要组成部分；体现在中国响应国际呼吁，为尽量减少疾病的影响提供了救援物资和现汇援助，”刘俊峰说。“中国对粮食短缺的问题非常重视，已经承诺为这三个国家分别提供200万美元的捐款，用于为当地居民提供粮食援助。”

The World Food Program’s director for China, Brett Rierson, praised the Chinese government’s efforts to address the crisis. But he suggested on Monday that Chinese companies could be doing more, given their considerable commercial interests in Africa.

世界粮食计划署驻中国代表黄安生(Brett Rierson)称赞了中国政府为应对危机做出的努力。但他在周一建议，鉴于中国企业在非洲的巨大商业利益，它们在应对危机上可以更有作为。

“What I see here is the Chinese government stepping up, the health workers putting their lives on the line, and the general public stepping in, for instance with an online donation platform that will be launched in a few weeks by Tencent,” Mr. Rierson said, referring to a popular Internet portal in China. “But what I am asking is, where are the Chinese billionaires and their potential impact?”

黄安生说，“我看到中国政府在加紧行动，卫生工作人员将自己的安危置之度外，公众也加入进来，比如腾讯将在几周内推出一个网上捐款平台，”腾讯是在中国拥有大量用户的一个互联网门户网站。“不过，我想问一下，中国的亿万富翁们做了什么？他们潜在的影响在哪里？”

Citing the recent $50 million donation from the foundation of Microsoft founder Bill Gates and $25 million from Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, to fight Ebola, Mr. Rierson expressed hopes that wealthy Chinese individuals and corporations would do more.

黄安生以微软创始人比尔·盖茨的基金会最近为抗击埃博拉病毒提供的5000万美元捐款、以及Facebook创始人马克·扎克伯格提供的2500万美元捐款为例子，对中国的富人和公司会做出更多贡献表示了期望。