中國發布擴大全球旅行禁令

China Expands Its Global Travel Ban

中國擴大全球旅行禁令

Beijing has advised foreign diplomats to China currently outside the country not to return until the middle of next month, while the South China Morning Post was told on Friday that at least one European envoy is being treated for Covid-19 in hospital in the city.

中國政府已建議目前在中國境外的外國駐華外交官在下個月中旬之前不要回國，而《南華早報》(South China Morning Post)上週五被告知，至少有一名歐洲特使正在北京的一家醫院接受治療。

“Diplomats enjoy immunity, but the virus will not grant them immunity,” China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Friday.

中國外交部發言人華春瑩週五表示:“外交官享有豁免權，但病毒不會給予他們豁免權。”

Beijing was aware of a number of foreign diplomats that had been infected with the coronavirus, so the foreign ministry was advising that those not already in Beijing should not return before May 15, she said, without stating the nationality of any of the people affected.

她說，北京知道一些外國外交官感染了冠狀病毒，所以外交部建議那些不在北京的外交官在5月15日前不要回國，但沒有說明任何受感染人員的國籍。

China last week imposed a ban on all foreigners returning to the country – including those with residence permits – but said the rule would not apply to diplomats, who are generally guaranteed freedom of movement and other privileges under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.

中國上週頒佈了一項禁令，禁止所有外國人返回中國——包括持有居留許可的外國人——但表示，該規定不適用於外交官。根據1961年的《維也納外交關係公約》(Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations)，外交官通常享有行動自由和其他特權。

Hua’s comments came after the ministry’s protocol department last week wrote to foreign embassies in Beijing asking that any of their envoys currently outside the city delay their plans to return, diplomatic sources said.

外交消息人士稱，華是在上週外交部禮賓司致信外國駐華使館後發表上述言論的。

With the introduction of widespread travel restrictions and other measures to contain the Covid-9 outbreak in China, many foreign diplomats have found themselves unable to perform their regular duties of representing their citizens. The latest ruling is unlikely to make their work any easier.

隨著中國出臺了廣泛的旅行限制和其它措施，以遏制“非典”疫情的爆發，許多外國外交官發現自己無法履行代表本國公民的正常職責。最新的裁決不太可能讓他們的工作變得更容易。

“The US embassy expects our diplomats to abide by Chinese laws while they are living here,” Frank Whitaker, the mission’s minister counsellor for public affairs, said in response to Hua’s comments.

“美國大使館希望我們的外交官在居住期間遵守中國法律，”美國駐華使館公共事務參贊弗蘭克•惠特克(Frank Whitaker)在回應華的言論時表示。

“However, we also expect the People’s Republic of China to uphold the Vienna Convention that lays out protections and safeguards for our diplomats while on official assignment in this country.”

“不過，我們也希望中華人民共和國遵守《維也納公約》(Vienna Convention)，該公約為我們在中國執行公務的外交人員提供保護和保障。”

A spokesman for the European Union’s mission in the city said he was aware of one employee of an EU member’s embassy who had recently returned from overseas and was now being treated in hospital for Covid-19.

歐盟駐該市使團的一名發言人說，他知道一名歐盟成員國大使館的僱員最近剛從海外回國，目前正在醫院接受Covid-19治療。

He did not specify the nationality of the person – except to say it was not an employee of the EU mission itself – but said that a number of other European diplomats were currently either in quarantine outside Beijing or in isolation at their homes within the city.

他沒有具體說明此人的國籍——只是說他不是歐盟使團的僱員——但表示，其他一些歐洲外交官目前要麼在北京以外的地方被隔離，要麼在北京市內的家中被隔離。

The EU mission confirmed that the foreign ministry had “strongly advised” diplomats not to return before May 15, adding that the notice was in keeping with other measures introduced by the Beijing municipal government.

歐盟使團證實，中國外交部已“強烈建議”外交官在5月15日前不要回國，並補充稱，這一通知符合北京市政府出臺的其它措施。

Authorities in the capital said earlier that members of the diplomatic corps would be subject to the same rules and regulations as all other foreigners.

首都當局早些時候表示，外交使團成員將遵守與所有其他外國人相同的規則和條例。