Politics
On Thursday, China nominated health official Song Li as a candidate to head the World Health Organization (WHO), putting her forward to succeed current Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
On Thursday, China nominated health official Song Li as a candidate to head the World Health Organization (WHO), putting her forward to succeed current Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, if Song Li is elected, she would help the WHO play an important role in improving global health and promoting human well-being.
Beijing has been actively expanding its role in United Nations agencies and other multilateral institutions, while the United States under President Donald Trump has been gradually reducing its engagement with the United Nations and some of its affiliated bodies. Dr. Song is a senior public health official with 20 years of experience in maternal and child health policy and international cooperation. She has played an active role in managing domestic public health emergencies, including SARS, avian influenza outbreaks and COVID-19. Notably, in 2020, she also served as editor-in-chief of a paper on the prevention and control of COVID-19, aimed at establishing national guidelines for overseeing maternal and child healthcare during the pandemic.
