Cutting funding to WHO, the US is 'making things difficult for itself'

Great power competition

When announcing the suspension of funding for WHO, President Donald Trump made it clear that WHO must be held responsible for its “dangerous and costly” decisions. Those “dangerous and costly” decisions have been repeatedly mentioned by the US in recent days, in a massive media war aimed at this multilateral organization. That is, WHO was too slow in confirming the Covid-19 epidemic as an international health emergency and then declaring a global pandemic, was slow in acknowledging that the SARS-CoV-2 virus could spread from person to person, opposed the US decision to apply travel restrictions to China...

Mr. Donald Trump announced to stop funding for WHO. Photo: Fox News

President Donald Trump said the WHO's response was "China-centric" and "based largely on information provided by the Chinese government." Trump also reiterated that China contributes $40 million to the WHO each year, only one-tenth of the US's contribution to the organization, and said it was "unfair" that the US is now the country experiencing the worst epidemic situation due to the WHO's poor response.

Behind these criticisms is the shadow of a “great power competition” with the US aiming at China.

Of course, the US criticism of the WHO’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic will take time to clear up. But it is not difficult to see that behind these criticisms is the shadow of a “great power competition” with the US targeting China, after the two sides had a “fierce debate” about the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

In fact, after controlling the epidemic domestically with a total number of infections much lower than the current epidemic centers such as the US, Spain, Italy, UK, etc., China immediately promoted "Covid-19 diplomacy" to restore its image in the international arena. Recognized as "the country that understands best, the country with the most experience with Covid-19", China continuously announced the sending of expert groups to other countries to support the fight against the epidemic, actively demonstrating the role of "philanthropist" in providing medical equipment such as masks, protective gear, ventilators, etc. to new epidemic countries... So, from the image of the "epicenter" country, where the epidemic originated and spread globally, China has become a model for epidemic handling, while the rapid development of the epidemic has turned the US into the largest epidemic center in the world.

The decision to cut funding for WHO is a new manifestation of the US-China “great power competition”. Photo: The Diplomat

Analysts say that the announcement to stop funding the WHO on the grounds that the organization is “China-centric” is an indirect attack on China, attacking the country’s efforts to build an image of a major and responsible country. This is essentially a manifestation of the great power competition strategy between the US and China, following a series of incidents that have taken place over the past year, from the trade war, the technology war or security disagreements in the Asia-Pacific region.

"The benefits do not outweigh the harm"?

Although Donald Trump’s policy towards the WHO has been supported by many “hawks” in the administration, there are also many who are concerned, calling it a “petty political game” that could backfire on the United States. Those who oppose Donald Trump’s decision say that the WHO is an international organization, and its structure is essentially based on that of the United Nations.

The US stopping funding for WHO is no different than indirectly "giving ground" to China.

Of course, everyone wants an ideal model in which the WHO operates as a politically neutral organization. But it cannot be denied that China's permanent membership in the UN Security Council, along with its veto power, gives China certain influence within the organization's system of agencies, just like the influence of the United States. The US's suspension of funding for the WHO is no different than indirectly "ceding the field" to China, creating an opportunity for China to demonstrate greater influence within this multilateral organization.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said now is not the time to withdraw funding for the WHO. Photo: Getty

In terms of timing, Donald Trump's move may not be supported internationally, when all world leaders are calling for international solidarity to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres himself has shared that the world's response to the Covid-19 pandemic needs to be reviewed, including the responses of individuals, governments, organizations, including the WHO, to clarify why a pandemic could appear and spread at such an unprecedented scale and speed. But that is the job after the pandemic has ended, and now is not the right time for arguments, to avoid eroding global solidarity efforts in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Not only does it have a "reverse impact" on the political position, US President Donald Trump's decision can also affect the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, which is unknown when it will end in the US. When asked about the consequences of this decision on the tense epidemic situation in the US, Mr. Donald Trump himself said that he was not sure and his team would find out more. Meanwhile, the American Medical Association has called on Mr. Donald Trump to reconsider his decision, considering it a dangerous step that will make the US fight against the Covid-19 pandemic face a more uncertain future.

From a health perspective, WHO still plays an important role in advising countries on how to handle the Covid-19 health crisis. Illustration photo: EPA

Controlling the Covid-19 epidemic is like controlling a fire, as long as there is even a small spark somewhere, all countries are at risk of re-igniting the fire.

Putting aside political factors and only considering the medical aspect, WHO still plays an important role in advising countries on how to handle the health crisis of Covid-19, especially in less developed countries. Cutting financial resources could cause the epidemic to get out of control in these areas, and with the mechanism of the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreading, the epidemic could completely return to attack countries that have successfully controlled the epidemic before. Medical experts say that controlling the Covid-19 epidemic is like controlling a fire, as long as there is a small spark somewhere, all countries are at risk of re-igniting the fire, including the US. That is why countries need to support WHO to ensure that this organization can cover all small fires around the world.

At this point, Donald Trump has considered the scenario of reopening the economy. But the decision to stop funding the WHO could affect the function that the US has criticized the WHO for, which is to provide precise guidance for countries to protect their citizens. If the world falls into a spiral of prolonged Covid-19 outbreaks, the US itself will become a victim and it is impossible to know when Donald Trump's plan to reopen the economy will become a reality.