By Fan Fan
The Trump administration has repeatedly threatened the World Health Organization (WHO) in the past few days.
Since US President Donald Trump publicly accused the WHO of having "missed the call" about COVID-19 and being too "China-centric" and threatened to "put a hold on money spent to the WHO" on April 7, the White House executives including Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo echoed in blaming the WHO. Soon, Republicans in the Committee on Oversight and Reform of the US House of Representatives collectively sent a complaint to Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, accusing him of failing to blame China for the pandemic and asking him to go to the US for a hearing to explain everything.
Trump also said at the White House pandemic briefing on April 10 that a statement about the WHO will be issued next week. According to the US media Politico, Trump's aides are discussing cutting off financial support for the WHO and establishing "an alternative institution" and other punitive measures.
The WHO may not have imagined that it will become the target of political attacks by the only superpower at a critical time of the global fight against the COVID-19.
Why did the Trump administration threaten to punish the WHO? Their intention is very obvious.
The British Daily Mail, CNN and Washington Post and many other media have pointed out that the Trump administration is just looking for a scapegoat to divert the public from focusing on how the Trump administration failed to act quickly to stop the pandemic from spreading in the US. Now, as the number of confirmed cases in the US ranks first in the world and the momentum continues, and the public's dissatisfaction with the government grows, the Trump administration's intention to rely on dumping the responsibility to get rid of the accusations and restore popular support for the election is even stronger.
Sabotaging the WHO is sabotaging global anti-pandemic efforts at this critical period.
If the Trump administration really gives the WHO a substantial hit next week and seriously interferes with the WHO's work, it will undoubtedly cast a shadow on the global anti-pandemic cooperation at a time when the global pandemic is surging.
The reason is very simple, the virus respects no borders. The long and complicated borders and the large and small border checkpoints between countries are all vulnerable in front of the virus. The shortage of anti-pandemic supplies in many countries and the uneven level of response all indicate that no single country can win the battle alone in the face of a new type of virus that was previously unknown. Therefore, the world needs a relatively unified force to serve countries in the fight against the pandemic. And this role belongs to the WHO.
The WHO is currently the largest multilateral organization in the world to respond to public health crises. The WHO is free from geographical and population restrictions. It represents the interests of the world and all mankind and serves the health of people around the world. Therefore, in the eyes of the WHO, no country has the priority to override others; and no country's pandemic situation is unimportant. To a certain extent, the WHO plays the role of a mobile fire brigade globally. It brings together global wisdom and it also effectively mobilizes some forces to support the weak links in the fight against the pandemic.
Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the actions of the WHO have fully proved this point. In addition to issuing early warning to countries early in the outbreak, the WHO has also made a lot of efforts and attempts in carrying out health statistics, providing pandemic response information, resisting rumors, enhancing global testing and diagnosis capabilities, promoting treatment and vaccine research, supporting front-line medical workers, and supporting global pandemic prevention and promoting cooperation among countries.
We have seen:
The WHO launched a global network of experts, held several transnational seminars to discuss response measures, and issued 50 technical guidance documents to provide pandemic response information;
The WHO has worked with global media and technology companies such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, Tencent, Douyin (TikTok) and LinkedIn, etc. to dispel rumors through major Internet platforms;
The WHO has launched the "SOLIDARITY trial" participated by more than 90 countries to promote COVID-19 diagnosis, treatment and vaccine scientific research;
……
It can be said that no international organization in the world other than the WHO can coordinate prevention and control strategies, share diagnosis and treatment methods, and organize international assistance with such great strength and appeal. Therefore, we should all support the WHO and respond to international cooperation. This is the most effective and safest way to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the WHO, after all, is only a multilateral institution without coercive force, and all its actions depend on the support of countries in the world. At a critical time of the global pandemic, the support from major powers is relatively more important because major powers can mobilize more resources and have stronger appeal. The international community also has a consensus in this regard.
The Extraordinary G20 Leaders’ Summit Statement on COVID-19 said: "The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic is a powerful reminder of our interconnectedness and vulnerabilities. The virus respects no borders. Combatting the pandemic calls for a transparent, robust, coordinated, large-scale and science-based global response in the spirit of solidarity. We are strongly committed to presenting a united front against this common threat…We fully support and commit to further strengthen the WHO’s mandate in coordinating the international fight against the pandemic."
Some US politicians wantonly attacked the WHO for political self-interests and undermined international anti-pandemic cooperation. This does not reflect unity or coordination. It neither goes with the international commitments of the US nor does it reflect its responsibilities or undertake as the only superpower in the world at all.
We have paid the price of more than 100,000 lives in the face of the pandemic. We cannot afford to be sloppy. The priority is to focus on the fight against the pandemic, and not to sabotage the WHO!
Disclaimer: This article is originally published oncankaoxiaoxi.com, and is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
