Improve In 30 Days Or Will Stop Funds: Trump To 'China-Centric' WHO

Publish On: 19 May, 2020 01:02 PM | Updated   |   Shivalik  

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump took to his official Twitter handle to share a letter written by him to the World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, accusing the organisation of siding with China during the COVID-19 crisis. 

In the letter, Trump said that the global health body consistently ignored credible reports of the deadly virus spreading in the Chinese city of Wuhan in early December 2019 or even earlier. “The WHO failed to independently investigate credible reports that conflicted directly with the Chinese government’s official accounts, even those that came from sources within Wuhan itself,” the letter read. 

Trump also accused the WHO of hiding critical information and said that the organisation knew about a major public health concern in Wuhan by December 30, 2019, which was also communicated by Taiwanese authorities. “But the WHO chose not to share any of this critical information with the rest of the world, probably for political reasons.”

This is not the first time Trump has accused the WHO of taking China's side; he has previously labelled the health body "China-centric." 

Trump then attacked WHO chief Tedros in his letter saying that the consistent missteps by him and his organisation has been costly for the world. “The only way forward for the WHO is if it can actually demonstrate independence from China," he said in the concluding paragraph. 

He also warned to cut off funds permanently to the WHO if it "does not commit to major substantive improvements within the next 30 days." He said that the United States will reconsider its membership in the organization. 

At a recent press conference, the US president called WHO a "puppet" of China. “They (WHO) are a puppet of China. They’re China-centric, to put it nicer. But they’re a puppet of China,” Trump said.