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COVID-19: Trump gives WHO 30 days to make ‘substantive improvements’, else…
The President of the United States of America, Donald Trump has issued WHO director-general, Tedros Gebreyesus 30 days to make ‘substantive improvements’ or US will stop funding the world body and walk away.
Trump who had earlier derided WHO as a “puppet of China” gave the ultimatum in a letter to the agency’s director-general which he shared on Twitter on Monday threatening to permanently halt US funding to WHO.
“The United States pays them $450m a year, China pays them $38m a year, And they’re a puppet of China. They’re China-centric to put it nicer, but they’re a puppet of China,” Trump had earlier told reporters in Washington, DC.
READ ALSO: US claims China attempting to steal its COVID-19 research
This came after President of China, Xi Jinping said Beijing has always been transparent about the outbreak of COVID-19 and will support a probe led by the World Health Organisation (WHO) once the pandemic is under control.
President Xi made the comments in a video message to a virtual meeting of the WHO’s decision-making body, the World Health Assembly on Monday, where he also pledged $2 billion over two years to help with the global COVID-19 response.
In the video speech to the WHO, Xi said China has been open and transparent about the COVID-19 outbreak that first emerged in the country in late 2019 and will support an investigation conducted in an objective and impartial manner.
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