Amid COVID-19 Response, U.S.-China Tension Impacting WHO Response

AFP: China rejects U.S. claim of attempted vaccine theft as ‘smearing’
“Beijing accused the United States on Thursday of smearing China after Washington alleged Chinese hackers were attempting to steal research on developing a vaccine against the coronavirus. The claims have added fuel to tensions between the global superpowers, who have traded barbs over the origin of the pandemic that has killed 300,000 people…” (5/14).

Reuters: Special Report: Caught in Trump-China feud, WHO leader under siege
“…The internal debate over the WHO’s messaging around China provides a window into the challenges facing the 72-year-old United Nations organization and its leader as they engage in battles on two key fronts: managing a deadly pandemic and coping with hostility from the United States, its largest donor. Interviews with WHO insiders and diplomats reveal that the U.S. offensive has shaken Tedros at an already difficult time for the agency as it seeks to coordinate a global response to the pandemic…” (Kelland et al., 5/15).

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