Beijing: Tuesday China expressed its firm support for the World Health Organisation (WHO) after US President Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal from the UN health body, accusing it of mishandling the COVID-19 crisis and failing to carry out reforms.
Soon after his swearing-in, Trump signed an executive order beginning the process of withdrawing America from the WHO, the second time in less than five years that the US has ordered to withdraw from the world body.
Reacting to Trump’s move, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Tuesday that China will continue to support the world health body in fulfilling its duties.
Guo said that as an authoritative international organisation in the field of global public health, WHO plays a central coordinating role in global health governance, and its role should be strengthened, not weakened.
China will, as always, support WHO in fulfilling its duties, deepen international public health cooperation, strengthen global health governance, and promote the building of a global community of health for all, Guo said.
Trump has long been critical of the WHO and sought to pull out the US from the UN body during his first term Presidency, but his successor Joe Biden reversed Trump’s decision.
The executive order signed by Trump said that the president was sending a presidential letter to the United Nations secretary-general to formally notify him of the US plan to withdraw.
“The US noticed its withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2020 due to the organisation’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states,” said the executive order.
During his previous term, Trump alleged that the pandemic, which had a devastating impact all over the world, was leaked from a bio lab in Wuhan.
China has mounted a massive propaganda offensive in response to counter Trump’s allegations.
AP
