US, China standoff ensnares WHO meeting on COVID-19 fight
MARIA CHENG and JAMEY KEATEN
Associated Press
GENEVA (AP) — Facing the most disruptive pandemic in generations, the technocratic halls of the World Health Organization are now the scene of pitched battles in an increasingly bitter proxy war between the China and the United States.
At the U.N. health agency's annual assembly this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping joined by video conference to offer more money and support. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump railed against the WHO in a letter accusing it of covering up the coronavirus outbreak with China — and threatening to permanently halt U.S. funding that has been its main financial lifeblood for years.
It marked the latest showdown between the world's last superpower and the rising Asian giant vying to supplant it on the gl