Trump targeting WHO irresponsible

The following is from a Japan News-yomiuri editorial:

The United States has officially notified the United Nations that it will withdraw from the World Health Organization. The root of this action is apparently U.S. President Donald Trump’s strong dissatisfaction with the U.N. agency, saying, “China has total control over the World Health Organization.”

When coronavirus infections first spread in China, WHO failed to deal appropriately with the issue. The WHO is requested to carry out impartial reviews and organizational reform.

The withdrawal of the United

States from the WHO, however, will not necessarily improve the situation. Is it really better for the organization serving as the headquarters for coronavirus measures to be shaken and China’s influence in it to be expanded?

Since the WHO’S foundation in 1948 under the leadership of the United States, the agency has played a major role in fighting polio and other diseases and improving public health. It stations staff in more than 150 countries and is indispensable for developing countries lacking in medical information and supplies.

The United States contributes to 16 percent of the WHO budget. WHO activities will inevitably be dealt a blow if the WHO cannot obtain such funds from the U.S. government. There is a fear that the cooperative system between the United States and other countries to develop coronavirus vaccines and therapeutic drugs could also be adversely affected.

Global challenges, such as the spread of infectious diseases and climate change, cannot be addressed by a single country. Trump lacks that perception.

The number of those infected with the virus in the United States is the highest in the world. Trump is irresponsible if he is targeting the WHO to try to avoid having his administration be criticized ahead of the election in November.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive challenger, expressed his view that the United States will remain in the WHO if he is elected. The final decision on whether the United States will withdraw will depend on the outcome of the election.

Trump’s “America First” policy or Biden’s international cooperation policy? U.S. voters face a critical choice.