Feb. 16, 2021-As the United States reengages with the World Health Organization under the new administration, its top national security officers are raising “deep concerns” about the credibility of the organization.
The criticism comes as the WHO completed a controversial mission to Wuhan, China to investigate the origins of the COVID-19 virus. The WHO team, which included 17 participants representing China, ignored key information that scientists from the lab in Wuhan collected bats and virus samples from caves in China and brought them back to the lab.
In the end, the WHO ceded the mission of scientific discovery to that of collaborating with China.
U.S. Membership
On his first day of office January 20, 2021, President Joe Biden informed UN Secretary General António Guterres that the United States would remain a member of the WHO. That reversed plans by former President Donald Trump to withdraw from the global body as of July 6, 2021.
However, the reengagement isn’t a smooth one.
‘Deep Concerns’
On Saturday, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan released a statement condemning the WHO’s concessions to China.
“We have deep concerns about the way in which the early findings of the COVID-19 investigation were communicated and questions about the process used to reach them,” Sullivan said. “It is imperative that this report be independent, with expert findings free from intervention or alteration by the Chinese government.”
China initially covered up news about the virus and has been reluctant to share key information about it.
United Kingdom Shares Concerns
Likewise, British foreign minister Dominic Raab also raised doubts about the WHO’s work in Wuhan.
“We do share concerns that they get full cooperation and they get the answers they need, and so we’ll be pushing for it to have full access, get all the data it needs to be able to answer the questions that I think most people want to hear answered around the outbreak,” he said.
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