Wang: Attempts to tarnish WHO's image will fail

Smearing the World Health Organization during the COVID-19 pandemic runs against the humanitarian spirit and will not be accepted by the international community, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday.

The WHO is an organization dedicated to public health under the United Nation. "The reputation of WHO will not be tarnished by some countries' smearing efforts," Wang said.

At every critical juncture of the epidemic, the WHO has promptly issued professional advice based on scientific evidence. "Those that have followed the WHO's advice have relatively handled the COVID-19 outbreak well, while countries that ignored or rejected its advice have paid a heavy price."

Wang stressed that the WHO members are made up of 194 sovereign states. "It cannot just serve the interests of one country, nor can it serve the will of whoever pays the most money," he said.

"Supporting the WHO is support saving lives, this is what a country with a conscience should do," he said.

As for the possible reform of the WHO after the pandemic, Wang said the organization will conduct a thorough and comprehensive evaluation. But the direction of reform should not be weakening this institution or the ideals of multilateralism supporting it, he said.

If reform of the WHO is necessary, it should focus on increasing its ability to deter external political inferences. It should also be armed with more resources to improve its ability to deal with global public health crisis, especially devoting more support for public health in developing countries.