China has slammed United States President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw America from the World Health Organisation (WHO) terming it a catastrophic move.
Trump’s executive order issued moments after his swearing-in as the 47th president of the US will affect Kenya which is among the beneficiaries of the global health provider.
In his statement on Monday, January 20, Trump accused the WHO of failing to act independently from the inappropriate political influence of the WHO member states which he claimed demanded exorbitant amounts of money from the US.
"The World Health Organization ripped us off, everybody rips off the United States. It is not going to happen anymore,” Trump said during his inauguration.
However, just hours after Trump’s directive orders, the Chinese government responded on the matter with China’s Foreign Affairs Minister’s Spokesperson Guo Jiakun accusing Trump’s administration of weakening the global health system.
In a press conference on Tuesday, January 21, Jiakun said the role of the WHO should be strengthened and not weakened as suggested by the current US government. According to Jiakun, WHO is the most authoritative and professional international institution in the field of global public health.
“The role of WHO should be strengthened and not weakened. WHO is the most authoritative and professional international institution in the field of global public health,” Guo Jiakun said.
"China will deepen international cooperation, improve global health governance and promote the building of a global health community," Guo added.
While taking a swipe at Trump’s order, the Chinese government expressed its commitment to supporting the WHO in fulfilling its mandate of providing humanitarian and health assistance globally. Jiakun also dismissed the US president’s claims that China had not made any significant contributions to the functioning of the WHO.
The withdrawal of US donations to WHO means Kenya could struggle to access medical supplies, improve health emergency response, and eliminate diseases.
Trump’s move could also hamper the recently launched Health Emergency Hub (HEH) programme between Kenya and WHO which is aimed at improving the country's ability to respond to health emergencies. The hub was established to maintain medical and logistical supplies and stations for WHO staff to respond quickly to medical emergencies in the country.
Continentally, Trump's decision could slow down WHO's five-year plan aimed at detecting, monitoring and swiftly responding to disease outbreaks within Africa.
In 2023, The United States contributed Ksh156 billion ($1.284 billion) to the WHO to help countries like Kenya respond to emergencies, stop disease threats from spreading across borders and advance other key global health priorities.
Comparatively, the US contributes more funds to the WHO than China. As of 2021, the US was the leading contributor to the WHO followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Canada, Norway and finally China at the seventh position.
