‘Lose, lose, lose’: Trump’s decision to quit WHO ‘may sink Taiwan hopes of role in agency’

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Washington has lobbied hard for Taipei’s observer status but its withdrawal may harm the bid

Questions raised about the timing of Trump’s decision to quit and defund WHO in the middle of a pandemic in which over 100,000 Americans have died

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Donald Trump accused the WHO of helping Beijing to cover up the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: Reuters

Published: 8:30pm, 2 Jun 2020Updated: 11:29pm, 3 Jun 2020

US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organisation would only result in a lose-lose-lose situation for Washington, Taiwan and the global health body, analysts said on Tuesday.

While it is not clear how the president can unilaterally withdraw the US from the WHO without approval from Congress, Taiwan, which has been fighting hard to get a role in the agency, is tipped to suffer from his decision, according to observers.

Trump said on Friday he would terminate US ties with the Geneva-based body, of which Washington had been a founding member since 1948, and halt funding for it. Trump has accused the WHO of helping the Chinese government cover up the early days of the coronavirus pandemic in China.

The stated withdrawal comes amid growing tensions between Washington and Beijing over a spate of disputes, including trade, technology, Chinese military expansion in the Indo-Pacific region and the coronavirus outbreak.

But Trump’s decision has raised questions over whether he could actually bypass the US Congress to halt the funding for the WHO, especially after the financing has already been approved by Congress.