Beijing: China on Wednesday slammed the US decision to withdraw from the WHO as yet another example of Washington upholding “unilateralism” and defended the UN body for coordinating the global response to COVID-19, as it geared up for a visit by the health agency’s experts to probe the origin of the coronavirus.
The Trump administration has formally notified the United Nations of its decision to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization (WHO), breaking off ties with the global health body despite the raging coronavirus pandemic in the country.
US President Donald Trump said he was halting funding to the organisation in mid-April and announced his intention to withdraw from the WHO in May after he said it “failed to make the requested and greatly needed reforms.”
Reacting to the move, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said, “this is yet another example of US upholding unilateralism, withdrawing from treaties and groupings.
The US has accused the WHO of siding with China on the outbreak of the virus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, alleging the health body misled the world resulting in deaths of over half a million people globally, including over 130,000 in America alone.
The WHO is the world’s leading public authority on global public health security. It plays an essential coordinating role in the global response to COVID-19 as it enters a crucial stage. Supporting WHO means supporting international cooperation against the virus and it means more lives saved,” Zhao said.
The US move will undermine the international anti-epidemic efforts and has a serious negative impact on developing countries in urgent need of international support, he said.
We urge the US to fulfil its due obligations and international responsibilities. We call on the international community to consolidate consensus on multilateralism and step up support and inputs to the WHO to jointly safeguard the public health security,” he said.
On the WHO team’s visit later this week to China to begin its probe into the origin of the COVID-19, Zhao said the team should also visit other countries to determine the zoonotic source of the virus.
Ever since the US and several other countries questioned China’s handling of the virus and the alleged delay in informing the WHO and the rest of the world resulting in the massive spread of the virus, Beijing denied any such delay on its part.
China also denied the US allegations that the virus has escaped from a virology lab in Wuhan.
For its part, China sought to shift the blame, saying that the virus may have originated elsewhere and surfaced in Wuhan.
Zhao, who in March tweeted saying that it might be the US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan during last year’s world military games, said in his Wednesday’s press meet that the origin tracing is a serious and complicated scientific matter that should be studied by scientists and medical professions. (PTI)
