President Donald Trump has threatened to cut US funding to the World Health Organisation, accusing it of bias towards China during the coronavirus pandemic.
It comes as nearly 2,000 people infected with the new coronavirus died in the United States in the past 24 hours. The record daily figure of 1,939 brings the total number of deaths in the US to 12,722.
Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he was “going to put a very powerful hold on” funding to WHO, the UN body whose biggest funding source is the United States.
“We’re going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO,” said Trump, who has previously criticised other UN and multilateral agencies.
He gave no details about how much money would be withheld and minutes later during the same press conference he said: “I’m not saying I’m going to do it.”
“We will look at ending funding,” he added.
According to Trump, the WHO “seems to be very biased toward China. That’s not right.”
His comments built on an earlier statement on Twitter in which he accused the WHO of being “very China-centric.”
Yesterday, Trump declared India might face retaliation if New Delhi doesn’t clear the export of Hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug that the United States President has touted as a “game-changer” in the battle against coronavirus.
Speaking to press at White House, Trump said he would be “surprised” if India turns down Washington’s request, more so because both countries share amicable relations.
India is one of the largest manufacturers of Hydroxychloroquine and recently it banned its export, along with other key drugs. The idea is to have enough in stock for domestic use even as its efficacy in battling COVID-19 is being judged.
Hydroxychloroquine was put under blanket ban disallowing its export even on humanitarian grounds.