China’s $500 Million Commitment to WHO Raises Questions

China has pledged $500 million to the World Health Organization, but Brett Schaefer from the American Enterprise Institute describes the WHO as “a cheap date” in terms of contributions.

Schaefer noted that this donation will span five years. In comparison, the U.S. contributed $374 million in voluntary donations alongside its $113 million in assessed contributions in 2023, based on data from the U.N. Chief Executives Board.

With this new pledge, China becomes the largest donor to the WHO, especially since the U.S. withdrew from the organization in January under President Donald Trump. The U.S. exit was prompted by concerns regarding the WHO’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and its resistance to necessary reforms.

During the announcement at the World Health Assembly, Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong stated, “The world is now facing the impacts of unilateralism and power politics, bringing major challenges to global health security.” He emphasized that solidarity and mutual assistance are key to creating a healthier world.

This isn’t the first time China has exerted influence over the WHO, according to Schaefer, who specializes in U.N. and international organization matters. He pointed out that the WHO has often excused China’s lack of transparency during the pandemic’s early days and hesitated to press China regarding doubts surrounding the virus’s origins.

Schaefer also mentioned that, while supporting global health is in the U.S. interest, there are better ways to do so independently of the WHO. He suggested that the organization could have implemented reforms to maintain U.S. involvement but chose instead to “resist reform” in favor of receiving less support from China.

Upon the U.S. announcing its withdrawal from the WHO, the White House criticized the organization for imposing “unfairly onerous payments” on the U.S. The administration highlighted that China, with a population of 1.4 billion, contributes nearly 90% less to the WHO than the U.S.

Robert Moffit, a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, questioned whether China’s financial commitment will have any significant impact on the WHO’s operations. He remarked that the WHO performed poorly during the COVID-19 crisis, yielding to Chinese pressure from the outset of the pandemic.

Moffit concluded that rather than relying on the WHO, America and its allies need to establish a reliable international health monitoring system as soon as possible.