Reuters
source: Reuters
China plans to put forward a late candidate to lead the World Health Organization, according to four diplomats and a source familiar with the matter, giving Beijing a chance to expand its influence after the US quit the WHO.
Beijing has long sought to take on more responsibility within UN agencies and other multilateral bodies, just as the United States under President Donald Trump winds down its engagement with the UN and some of its constituent organisations.
The WHO leads international efforts to combat disease and health crises such as the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
The sources said China plans to put forward Song Li, a senior public health official with 20 years’ expertise in maternal and child health policy and international cooperation, to succeed the incumbent director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Song and the Chinese mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
A diplomatic source said the planned nomination was a clear sign that China wanted to fill a void where the US has stepped back.
