Trump slams WHO for allegedly siding with China on coronavirus crisis

The United States President Donald Trump on March 25 lashed out at the World Health Organisation (WHO) for allegedly siding with China on coronavirus crisis. Donald Trump was answering a question on allegations by Republican Senator Marco Rubio that the World Health Organization (WHO) showed 'favouritism' to China during the crisis. According to reports, Donald Trump accused the global health body of being 'very unfair' and said that a lot of people feel that way.

Read: US Accuses China Of Withholding Critical Coronavirus-related Information

WHO's director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has faced criticism for praising China's leadership and its determination to end the pandemic. As per reports, Ghebreyesus has also been accused of conspiring with Beijing in its alleged propaganda to hush-up coronavirus cases. Congressman Greg Steube in a tweet alleged WHO of being a mouthpiece for China's Communist party during the outbreak. Steube also demanded that both China and WHO must face consequences once the crisis is under control. Senator Josh Hawley echoed Steube's view and demanded the same. 

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Ghebreyesus had gone to China in January to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and after the meeting, he took to his official Twitter handle to praise China for handling the crisis with great seriousness. Ghebreyesus also appreciated the transparency the authorities in China have demonstrated. 

Read: Chinese President Xi Jinping To Attend Special G20 Leaders' Summit Via Video Call

Coronavirus outbreak

COVID-19 has claimed more than 21,200 lives across the world and has infected nearly 4,71,000 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019. China was the most affected country until last week, however, Italy and Spain have surpassed it to record the most number of deaths anywhere in the world due to COVID-19. The virus is believed to have originated from a seafood market in China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally. 

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France and the United States have also joined the list of countries that have recorded more than 1,000 deaths due to Coronavirus. Health experts believe that the hotspot could soon shift to the United States, where 1,032 people have died so far, out of the 68,489 confirmed cases that the country has recorded since January 2020.

(Image Credit: AP)