China reportedly says Trump’s plan to sever ties with WHO shows U.S. has become ‘addicted to quitting’

China’s foreign ministry has accused the U.S. of selfishly pursuing unilateralism, Reuters reported on Monday, following President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization.

Speaking during a daily briefing, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters that the response from the international community had shown many disagree with the move.

“The U.S. has become addicted to quitting groups and scrapping treaties,” Zhao said, according to a Reuters report.

Trump on Friday had accused the WHO of becoming a puppet of China, claiming Beijing exercised “total control” over the United Nations health agency.

The WHO has denied the U.S. president’s claim that it promoted so-called “disinformation” about the outbreak. It has also described the U.S. decision to withdraw from the group in the midst of a pandemic as “disappointing” and “inexplicable.”

The European Union has since called on the U.S. to reconsider its position, saying the participation of all members in the UN health agency is required and “very much needed.”

To date, more than 6.1 million people have contracted Covid-19 across the globe, with 372,479 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The U.S. has recorded by far the highest number of Covid-19 infections worldwide, surpassing the grim milestone of 100,000 deaths last week.

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/01/china-trumps-plan-to-leave-who-shows-us-has-become-addicted-to-quitting.html