President Trump terminated ties with World Health Organisation (WHO)

Trump accused WHO for being under total control of China

President Trump announced to terminate American relationship with World Health Organisation in a press conference in the Rose Garden of White House. He accused WHO as under total control of China. He has also announced to stop $450 million annual contribution to W H O. This amount now is diverted to other bodies around the world.

He said that the WHO was “pressured” by China to mislead the world about the novel coronavirus, hampering the US and global response and resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide – including more than 100,000 Americans.

As one example, Trump listed the WHO advice against banning travel earlier this year, and criticism of his decision to halt incoming flights from China. Almost every country eventually stopped air travel, in addition to Chinese-style lock down tactics intended to slow the spread of the respiratory disease. “The world is now suffering as the result of malfeasance of the Chinese government,” Trump added. 

Trump had sent a letter to WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus two weeks ago, demanding that the agency “clean up its act” and giving it 30 days to do so. He accused the body of “inaccurate and misleading” statements about the coronavirus, and doing Beijing’s bidding.

“The only way forward for the World Health Organization is if it can actually demonstrate independence from China... we do not have time to waste,” he wrote. Friday’s announcement comes 20 days after that letter, ahead of the self-imposed deadline. "We have detailed the reforms that it must make and engage with them directly, but they have refused to act," Trump said.

As part of the dispute with the WHO, Trump had suspended US funding to WHO back in April. WHO’s own numbers show that the US had given $893 million – between member dues and voluntary contributions – to its budget in 2018-19, compared to $86 million coming from China.

The WHO responded to Trump’s funding stop by pledging an “independent review” that will “no doubt” show “areas for improvement” and “lessons for all of us to learn,” but said the US decision was regrettable and creating “cracks between us” that can be exploited by the virus.

The President also said that United States will end special status for Hong Kong and treat it on par with Mainland China and prevent certain students from China from enrolling in US universities and colleges. This statement of the Trump comes after China imposed a controversial national security law on Hong Kong. 

President Trump has exited nearly half a dozen world organisations and pacts in last three and half years of his presidency. The United States has exited a number of world bodies and multilateral pacts on President Trump’s watch, starting with the Trans-Pacific Partnership in January 2017, the month when he took office. This was followed by departures from the Paris Accord on climate change (2017), UNESCO (2017), Iran deal (2018) and UNHCR (2018). And the president has grumbled about US contributions to NATO and the United Nations and now with the World Health Organization.

                                                       Web desk