Trump announces end of ties with WHO over virus pandemic, to end special treatment for Hong Kong
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.
by Yashwant Raj| Edited by: Harshit SabarwalUnited States President Donald Trump on Friday announced he was “terminating” the country’s ties with the World Health Organization (WHO) for its failure to carry out reforms and said the annual contribution of $450 million will be diverted to other bodies around the world.
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 that many critics have said will pose restrictions on Hong Kong’s freedom.
“Because they have failed to make the requested and greatly needed reforms, we will be today terminating our relationship with the World Health Organization and will be redirecting those funds to other worldwide and deserving urgent public health needs,” Trump said at news briefing.
Trump had sent a list of reforms that United States wanted the world body to carry out with the three of permanently freezing its contribution and terminating its membership, chiefly, end its dependence on China.
“The only way forward for the organization is if it can actually demonstrate independence from China .” he had written in a four-page letter to WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus last week. He had given the world body 30 days to respond.
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.