5 Keys to Unlocking Why the World Health Organization Bows to China on COVID-19

From The Daily Signal.com (April 1):

The World Health Organization is under increasing fire for its response to the deadly spread of the coronavirus, largely for repeating talking points by the Chinese Communist Party that played down the threat.

The situation could prompt a congressional investigation once lawmakers reconvene, or after the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic that the U.S. government says could kill more than 100,000 Americans.

LiveScience reported that the coronavirus had infected at least 211,413 Americans and killed 4,713 as of Wednesday evening.

The World Health Organization, an arm of the United Nations, found out Dec. 30 about the spread of a disease in Wuhan, China, thought to be pneumonia. More than two months later, on March 11, WHO declared the coronavirus to be a global pandemic.

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Here are some things Americans should know about the World Health Organization, which the U.N. founded in 1948 with the mission of providing health assistance to countries, setting international health standards, and coordinating responses to global health emergencies.

1. How Much Do U.S. Taxpayers Give to WHO?

The World Health Organization has an annual budget of $3.8 billion.

According to WHO, contributions from the U.S. government, American citizens, and U.S.-based charities make up 76% of all voluntary contributions to the organization. That amounted to $945.6 million from 2016 to 2017.

Congress authorized about $123 million in taxpayer funding for WHO in the last fiscal year, and President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2021 budget request proposed to reduce funding to about $58 million.
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2. Will Congress Investigate WHO?

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., called this week for a congressional  probe of the organization, based largely on what he considers a lack of warning to the world about the new coronavirus, which causes COVID-19.

“The mission of the WHO is to get public health information to the world so every country can make the best decisions to keep their citizens safe. When it comes to coronavirus, the WHO failed,” Scott said in a prepared statement.

“They need to be held accountable for their role in promoting misinformation and helping communist China cover up a global pandemic,” he said.

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3. What Has WHO Said About China?

On Jan. 14, WHO unquestioningly circulated China’s official talking points in a tweet, saying:

“Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in #Wuhan, #China.”

Of course, the virus is highly contagious, a characteristic that has prompted quarantines and self-quarantines around the globe.
On Jan. 23, WHO determined COVID-19 could be spread by humans.

After new evidence that China silenced whistleblowers and doctors in that country, and that Communist Party officials were aware of the spread well before reporting it, WHO continued to extol China’s response and transparency.

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4. What Are the Political Ties Between WHO’s Chief and China?

China backed Tedros in May 2017 when he ran for World Health Organization director-general.

Chinese diplomats “worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help Tedros defeat the United Kingdom candidate for the WHO job, David Nabarro,” Washington Post columnist Frida Ghitis wrote.

“Tedros’ victory was also a victory for Beijing, whose leader Xi Jinping has made public his goal of flexing China’s muscle in the world,” the column continued.

5. Where Does Taiwan Fit In?

Taiwan health officials warned the World Health Organization that the new coronavirus could spread through human-to-human contact before WHO recognized this fact Jan. 23.

WHO initially followed the China line that the virus could not spread through human-to-human contact, according to Institut Montaigne, a think tank in France.

But political considerations were in play.

Taiwan considers itself an independent country and China considers it a province. Unlike China, however, Taiwan got an early handle on the coronavirus and was able to beat back the spread.

Taiwan would be an international success story, except WHO keeps Taiwan and China statistics together.

WHO also excluded Taiwan from its emergency meeting on COVID-19 in January.  [read more]

The WHO are Chinese gov’t apologists to put it mildly.