WHO denies being 'China-centric' after Trump comment, threat to cut funding
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World Health Organisation officials on Wednesday denied that the body was “China-centric” and said that the acute phase of a pandemic was not the time to cut funding, after US President Donald Trump said he would put contributions on hold.
The United States is the top donor to the Geneva-based body which Trump said had issued bad advice during the new coronavirus outbreak.
“The WHO really blew it,” Trump said in a Twitter post. “For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China-centric. We will be giving that a good look."
US contributions to WHO in 2019 exceeded $400 million, almost double the 2nd largest member state contribution. China, in contrast, contributed $44m.
“We are still in the acute phase of a pandemic so now is not the time to cut back on funding,” Dr Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, told a virtual briefing in response to a question about Trump’s remarks.
Read: Trump says WHO is China-centric, 'really blew it' on coronavirus; threatens to freeze US funding
Dr Bruce Aylward, senior advisor to the WHO Director-General, also defended the UN agency’s relationship with China, saying its work with Beijing authorities was important to understand the outbreak which began in Wuhan.
“It was absolutely critical in the early part of this outbreak to have full access to everything possible, to get on the ground and work with the Chinese to understand this,” he told reporters.
“This is what we did with every other hard hit country like Spain and had nothing to do with China specifically.”
He also defended WHO recommendations to keep borders open, saying that China had worked very hard to identify and detect early cases and their contacts and ensure they did not travel in order to contain the outbreak.
On Europe, Kluge described the outbreak of coronavirus there as “very concerning” and urged governments to give “very careful consideration” before relaxing measures to control its spread.
“A dramatic rise in cases across the Atlantic skews what remains a very concerning picture in Europe,” he said. “We still have a long way to go in the marathon.”
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Comments (79) Closed
Apr 08, 2020 04:40pm
Trump is known as a confirmed eccentric actually. WHO is a technical entity and doing well.
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Apr 08, 2020 04:41pm
Funding should not be abruptly cut to show a humanitarian gesture at this time of need but otherwise Donald Trump is right for the very first time.
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Apr 08, 2020 04:42pm
Trump looking as usual to blame anybody else other than himself.
WHO and the world know.
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Apr 08, 2020 04:50pm
We fully support China because China is the only country which had worked very hard to contain this deadly virus.
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Apr 08, 2020 04:52pm
US must need to understand that this pademic marathon is uneasy along with good length .So it will be only timidness to pull it back from race and push it towards selfishness,
Like super heros US is super power so they ought to be Humanity Avengers...
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Apr 08, 2020 05:00pm
Chinese virus has been intentionally given by china.
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Apr 08, 2020 05:02pm
"He also defended WHO recommendations to keep borders open"! Really!! Whom is he trying to kid!!!
WHO has a lot of explaining to do to the World, not only to Trump. Who officials have been eaiter unwilling to say truth about Coronavirus in China or incompetent to find truth about it.
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Apr 08, 2020 05:02pm
Screwed up.
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Apr 08, 2020 05:02pm
Well Done US we are with you.
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Apr 08, 2020 05:07pm
Who is Trump to tell WHO that it had issued bad advice during the new coronavirus outbreak? Is he better than all the world's top experts on health matters? Is he ready to sacrifice the health and security of the entire world, including his own US, in his hate of anything Chinese?
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Apr 08, 2020 05:07pm
Trump power!
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Apr 08, 2020 05:08pm
Right step. WHO should come clean on all the false narrative it supported in Jan-Feb
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Apr 08, 2020 05:12pm
All virus come out from China, some strict action should be there.. Good step by trump
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Apr 08, 2020 05:12pm
1) Please go to WHO website. You will see all pictures with Chinese faces plus a few African faces, thrown in consciously to stem criticism.
2) As USA is the largest donor, it has the right to take WHO to task.
3) Still now WHO discourages all and sundry wear face mask, while Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong & Singapore averted the worst this way.
4) It will not be unfair to surmise whether WHO wants to prevent COVID-19 or spread it.
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Apr 08, 2020 05:17pm
Yeah once US pulls back funding , China And Pakistan should fund the WHO going forward
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Apr 08, 2020 05:18pm
Trump is right , and Modi said it in the G20 meeting - The WHO is Totally incompetent .
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Apr 08, 2020 05:19pm
@Zak, china is the only country due to which the world is in such a mess today
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Apr 08, 2020 05:21pm
@M. Saeed, Trump pays the salaries for WHO doctors and staff he has all the right to question them
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Apr 08, 2020 05:21pm
Who is Wuhan health organisation.
They are either incompetent or worse complicit in hiding facts and disguising world at behest of China.
Giving a dime to this corrupt organisation is sacrilege
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Apr 08, 2020 05:24pm
WHO is a weak and insignificant organisation subservient to the Chinese and Russians and such unsavory customers. The maximum funding is from the USA. Thus the US should have permanent headship/leadership or they should withdraw patronage. A new effective global health organisation should be set up under US and EU auspices. In fact, the useless UN should be shut down and a World Federation should be established under US-EU auspices. Lets end this drama once and for all.
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Apr 08, 2020 05:51pm
There is no denying of the fact that WHO goofed up big time. But who is the real culprit ? It is China who kept the world in dark for a long time. Had this alert been sounded earlier by China; so many human deaths and human suffering across the globe could have been avoided. US is suffering the most today only because they stopped the incoming flights from China a little too late relying on WHO advice.
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Apr 08, 2020 05:57pm
WHO should have censored China on wet markets. China has not come clean and WHO failed its duty
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Apr 08, 2020 06:05pm
China is exposed for this ChineseVirus and there is no hiding from it.
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Apr 08, 2020 06:25pm
It is true that if WHO was proactive and did not wait for China green signal ...most of this mess could have been avoided . It should have been nipped in bud by both China and WHO.
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Apr 08, 2020 06:27pm
Not the right time to be hurling threats when a worldwide pandemic is raging.
WHO is doing a very good job. Cut your funding and lose your influence.
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Apr 08, 2020 06:33pm
Trump too as well as the world knows the UN is America-centric.
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Apr 08, 2020 06:39pm
Amid evergrowing and swiftly spreading coronavirus pandemic and a tangible threat of losing $58 million of U.S. financial support per annum, what else can the "movers and shakers" of W.H.O. say but to deny being China-centric?
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Apr 08, 2020 07:01pm
Shut it down .
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Apr 08, 2020 07:06pm
@Zak, South Korea and Japan were successful. China lied
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Apr 08, 2020 07:11pm
@Dr. Doctor, This should have been thought by W. H. O that due their negligence so many people died /effected. W. H. O must answer why they supported China.
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Apr 08, 2020 07:12pm
A criminal never accepts and always denies.
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Apr 08, 2020 07:18pm
For once Trump is right, China and WHO should be taken to ICJ for crimes against humanity. $400 million in funding from US should be cancelled for WHO which has been inefficient and just a propaganda machine for China. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus got his position because of China help now he is obeying his master.
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Apr 08, 2020 07:42pm
TRUMP is 100% right.
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Apr 08, 2020 07:52pm
If we give you money, you set aside the rules, impartiality and objectivity and start working for us, right or wrong.
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Apr 08, 2020 07:57pm
USA president Trump is absolutely right. Trump gives an impression of being naive but he is a smart person.
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Apr 08, 2020 07:59pm
Because of China pressure, WHO failed to include Taiwan into the organization. Taiwan handled the Covit situation very well and no one talks about it.
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Apr 08, 2020 08:03pm
It is a Chinese virus and WHO fails to take proper action in time, Because of WHO mess up the whole world is suffering.
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Apr 08, 2020 08:03pm
World community follows UN and World Health Organisation for research and information on health issues. In December 2019, WHO declared that Corona19 cannot be spread from person to person. Then it took more than 2 months to correct the mistake. UNO was busy siding with China government on misleading the world.
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Apr 08, 2020 08:13pm
There is no question WHO is at least partially responsible for the disaster and unnecessary deaths. Instead of confronting the Chinese to find out what really happened in Wuhan, WHO acted like another wing of Chinese propaganda machine, parroting the lines/lies given by China. Up until last month, WHO insisted there was no human to human transmission of this virus.
On top of it, every time I see the head of WHO on the TV, he seems so annoyed, like somebody woke him up from his nap.
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Apr 08, 2020 08:14pm
@Zak, It will be surprising if you don’t support China.
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Apr 08, 2020 08:27pm
@Zak, and that's why it has spread to the entire world...sometime we should call spade a spade and not diamond
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Apr 08, 2020 08:30pm
WHO originally told the World that this virus was not transmitted person to person (they got that bogus info from China) - then they criticized the US for cutting off travel to/from China. WHO consistently praised China for their handling of the virus despite knowing they withheld critical information and even lied to the WHO. Trump and the rest of the World has every right to criticize the poor performance of the WHO. Current head of the WHO should resign or be fired - and the organization needs to be revamped and made more effective.
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Apr 08, 2020 09:07pm
He who pays the piper, calls the tune. Whether it's the WHO or ICC. No wonder the BCCI like the USA can do what it pleases, and any interim deviations will always lead to course correction eventually.
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Apr 08, 2020 09:08pm
China is friend of Pakistan, it will never be wrong.
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Apr 08, 2020 09:16pm
Mr. Trump why did you remain reluctant to follow WHO recommendation of lockdown?
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Apr 08, 2020 09:31pm
China is a rich country; they can make up for what the USA is paying WHO (about 390 Million USD each year)...
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Apr 08, 2020 09:32pm
Great decision by Trump. He is just uttering the truth and truth is bitter. Not only US, all member nations should punish WHO for its deceitful act along with China.
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Apr 08, 2020 09:51pm
Yes, WHO failed to properly update it's the largest donor on COVID-19. The organization failed to issue early warnings while very well knowing the situation at Wuhan. At this time China can keep it all other donor nations mush shut down the funding to WHO and create a parallel organization.
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Apr 08, 2020 10:21pm
European countries looking for succour in US for corona fight are in for a shock. Corona will prove to be a suez canal moment for US. A new multipolar world order is likely to emerge post corona with Asian countries playing a dominant role.
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Apr 08, 2020 10:25pm
WHO has proved its uselessness during this pandemic.
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Apr 08, 2020 10:29pm
Trump is correct on this.
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Apr 08, 2020 10:50pm
Over the years, China has successful staffed WHO office with its selected nominees either of Chinese origin or from countries where China has invested heavily and control their narrative. So it's no surprise that WHO director General Mr.Tedros and several WHO officials vociferously denied their action being China centric.. However action speaks louder than words and the world has seen how Mr. Tedros continued to support China even when the Wuhan infection was spreading uncontrollablly in China. Its now time for Tedros to quit or get thrown out.
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Apr 08, 2020 10:50pm
@Zak, China has worked very hard to conceal coronavirus.
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Apr 08, 2020 11:12pm
@riz1, Where is the comparison?
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Apr 08, 2020 11:26pm
World opinion very widely divided. WHO on one side initially failed to feel the consequences, and then spread panic. That is true. However, Trump is absolutely wrong declaring WHO as China centric.
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Apr 08, 2020 11:30pm
@M. Saeed, Because USA is paying the largest annual contribution to WHO. $440 million.
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Apr 09, 2020 12:05am
@Tahir M, Right by the way, I read or heard, the USA Government is the most defaulted country in payments her dues to International Organizations
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Apr 09, 2020 12:07am
@snowman, WHO representatives responsible the for the rapid spread of this virus should be put on trial, their personal finances looked at under the microscope, then punished if found guilty of lies or corruption.
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Apr 09, 2020 12:20am
I don't know weather cutting contribution is right or not . But WHO did messed it up . Now the question remains weather it was intentional or not. WHO did give WRONG advices on this pandemic to the rest of world
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Apr 09, 2020 12:37am
@Zak, good joke !!! Try to understand the political game of China.... don’t support the Chinese government because they help Pakistan.
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Apr 09, 2020 01:00am
@ABHISHEK, Soolve his probbems. Start exporting chloroquine and cow urine to your “Donaal Trump”.
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Apr 09, 2020 01:12am
People in Pakistan and Pakistan Govt. should start looking beyond China. There is a far better world beyond China.
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Apr 09, 2020 01:24am
@Zak, of course you do, does not matter what the issue is , you just support china, otherwise beware, more virulent virus may come in your way
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Apr 09, 2020 01:30am
@M. Saeed, he is not questions their expertise, there is a concern in a significant section of medical and epidemiology experts that WHO for some reasons the actions of WHO may not be entirely on scientific basis and china exerted pressure.
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Apr 09, 2020 01:39am
@Zak, Very good. Support China but contribute to WHO as well. Any idea the financial role played by Pakistan with WHO?
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Apr 09, 2020 02:21am
@Chris Dann, WHO is doing well on the benovelence of the USA. Look at the contributors and then you can talk! WHO could have done a better job by warning countries instead of waiting and watching
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Apr 09, 2020 02:25am
WHO is unable to find drawback of corona virus and has been trapped in Chinese administration.
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Apr 09, 2020 04:08am
Chinese have always been secretive and unreliable. They are intelligent in crooked way. They are very selfish. If they play it fair would have earned respect. Because of this covid in China. The whole world has come to standstill. If they were prompt in alerting the world we could have averted the pandemic to some extent
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Apr 09, 2020 04:09am
@Chris Dann, we need WHO, but without AMERICAN Money ? it will hurt poor and developing countries.
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Apr 09, 2020 04:10am
@M. Saeed, don’t depend on USA. Rest of the world shld contribute
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Apr 09, 2020 04:15am
@Jai Moolchandani,
Whatever else, WHO should be sceptical of Chine figures. They do not have a good reputation with figures and suppression of the truth.
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Apr 09, 2020 04:41am
@M. Saeed, WHO has to do lot of explaining. Even until mid Jan it was saying human to human transmission is not happening. Then it asked member states to not close air traffic. It didn’t ask tough questions to Chinese but only acted as China’s spokesperson. Dr. Who.
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Apr 09, 2020 05:36am
@Zak, china is the only one gifted covid19
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Apr 09, 2020 05:47am
WHO and other UN agencies should work on reducing their reliance on US.
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Apr 09, 2020 07:03am
Trump is right. Last year USA paid $ 450 M to WHO and China contributed less than $ 50M and many countries are not paying their fair share either. Same applies in UN too. Time for a change.China cannot get away with spreading the virus but not willing to pay for the damages it has caused by hiding facts.
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Apr 09, 2020 07:56am
WHO ignoring Taiwan’s participation is clearly driven by China. Taiwan has managed this crisis very well and is eager to help the world. But vetoed out of WHO due to China’s pressure.
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Apr 09, 2020 08:08am
WHO chief got his post due to the support of China. Now he is being loyal, no wonder.
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Apr 09, 2020 08:33am
Trump is threatening almost everyone nowadays....they have exploited almost everyone for centuries, still persistent with his habit...
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Apr 09, 2020 08:47am
Intelligent people need to advice Trump that this is not the time for political gain. Humanity is involved here any post mortem investigation can be done once there is a viable solution to this deadly virus. Now is not the time for US to cut funding to the World Health Organization.
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