U.S. acts against China over virus and Hong Kong

WASHINGTON — The United States is to withdraw funding from the World Health Organization, end Hong Kong’s special trade status and suspend visas of Chinese graduate students suspected of conducting research on behalf of their government — escalating tensions with China that have surged during the coronavirus pandemic.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement on Friday came after he had expressed anger at the World Health Organization for weeks over what he has portrayed as an inadequate response to the initial outbreak of the coronavirus in China’s Wuhan province late last year.

The president said in the brief announcement that Chinese officials “ignored” their reporting obligations to the WHO and pressured the organization to mislead the public about an outbreak that has now killed more than 100,000 people in the United States.

“We have detailed the reforms that it must make and engaged with them directly, but they have refused to act,” Trump said.

The U.S. is the largest source of financial support for the WHO and its exit is expected to significantly weaken the organization. Trump said the U.S. would be “redirecting” the money to “other worldwide and deserving urgent global public health needs,” without providing specifics.

He noted that the U.S. contributes about $450 million US to the world body while China provides about $40 million.

Critics of the administration’s decision to cut funding called it misguided, saying it would undermine an important institution that is leading vaccine development efforts and drug trials to address the COVID-19 outbreak.

“Severing ties with the World Health Organization serves no logical purpose,” said Dr. Patrice Harris, president of the American Medical Association.

Tensions over Hong Kong have been increasing for more than a year as China has cracked down on protesters and sought to exert more control over the former British territory.

Trump said the administration would begin eliminating the “full range” of agreements that had given Hong Kong a relationship with the U.S. that mainland China lacked, including exemptions from controls on certain exports. He said the State Department would begin warning U.S. citizens of the threat of surveillance and arrest when visiting the city.

“China has replaced its promised formula of one country, two systems, with one country, one system,” he said.

The president also said the U.S. would be suspending entry of Chinese graduate students suspected of taking part in an extensive government campaign to acquire trade knowledge and academic research for the country’s military and industrial development.

China seemed to signal in recent days that it hoped to ease tensions. Premier Li Keqiang said Thursday that both countries stood to gain from co-operation, and to lose from confrontation.

But Beijing has insisted that its control of Hong Kong is an internal matter and it has disputed that it mishandled the response to the virus.