CHINA-US: U.S. ANNOUNCES SUSPENSION OF CONTRIBUTIONS TO WHO

On April 14, US President Trump announced that the U.S. would suspend funding for the World Health Organisation, pending a review. Rising scrutiny of the WHO, and especially the perception that China wields strong influence over it, has led GOP leaders to call for funding cuts. Meanwhile, on April 14 the US Congress addressed a letter to the Director General of WHO seeking answers to 5 questions, which could presage an enquiry. The US is the largest single contributor to the WHO and according to WHO data in 2018–2019 provided US$ 893 million or 14.67% of the WHO's total funding, whereas China provided just 0.21%.

(Comment: The threat to cut funding could bring the WHO more in line with U.S. wishes — or could have the opposite effect. Beijing has since 2017 been pushing a "Health Silk Road' and Chinese President Xi Jinping pointedly referred to it in his recent telephone conversations with the Italian, French and Russian leaders. A Chinese think-tank set up by a central Chinese SoE also disclosed a month ago that it had ready a proposal for a Beijing-led rival to the WHO. ) 






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