UNBELIEVABLE

China owes Britain £351 billion for coronavirus pandemic and we should take them to court, study claims
The full article is below, but what is unbelievable is that with this pandemic going on and the possibility of China being taken to court for possible 'directly breached international healthcare responsibilities,' the UN is giving China a place on the panel that advises on world health.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-wtQOS ... pp=desktop



An investigation into the crisis has claimed the horrific impacts of coronavirus could have been mitigated if China had just been more honest about the outbreak.
The report, to be published tomorrow by the Henry Jackson Society (HJS), a British foreign policy think-tank, claims China directly breached international healthcare treaty responsibilities.

It also argues there are ten legal avenues major nations - such as Britain - could take to pursue damages from Beijing.

Experts calculated the G7, the world’s leading economies, face a bill of £3.2trillion.

And they said this could have been avoided if the Communist Party was more open about coronavirus, reports The Mail on Sunday.

Britain’s slice of the compensation would be used to cover the full costs of the treasury’s economic bailout plan and the hike in NHS spending to manage the crisis.

World governments have been forced to inject huge sums of cash into their economies to keep them going, helping to prop up businesses and support laid off or furloughed workers.

HJS experts concluded the Communist Party “sought to conceal bad news at the top” and to “conceal bad news from the outside world”.

It comes as British ministers are now reportedly not discounting the theory that coronavirus actually came from a leak from a Chinese lab in Wuhan.
And meanwhile, the report has spurred a group of 15 top Tories to call on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to “rethink and reset” the United Kingdom’s relationship with China.

In a joint letter, the four former Cabinet ministers and 11 MPs said they are worried about the “damage to the rules-based system caused by China’s non-compliance with international treaties”.
The report is titled “Coronavirus Compensation: Assessing China's potential culpability and avenues of legal response” and argues the Chinese government actively covered-up the coronavirus outbreak.

HJS experts say key decisions in the early days of the outbreak, such as not cancelling flights from London to Wuhan, were directly skewed by misinformation from China.

The report reads: “The truth is that China is responsible for Covid-19 – and if legal claims were brought against Beijing they could amount to trillions of pounds.”

Britain could bring a case against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague against China for breaking sanitary commitments, or it could got to the UN and International Court of Justice, or bring it up with the World Trade Organisation

In their letter to the PM, the 15 Tories, led by former deputy PM Damian Green, write: “Legally binding international healthcare regulations require states to provide full information on all potential pandemics. It appears likely that in its early response to the outbreak, the uphold its obligations.

“This omission allowed the disease to spread throughout the world with extraordinarily serious consequences in terms of global health and the economy.

“The cost to the UK may be, as a Henry Jackson Society report now suggests, over £350 billion.”
China has been openly accused of concealing details of the outbreak in its early stages, such as the death toll and spread of the virus.

British government officials met on January 13 and concluded the risk to the population was “very low”.

This was based on information from China, who claimed there was no significant “human to human transmission” and no evidence of medics getting the disease.
Advice based on Chinese data continued to be used throughout January, and then one day before the end of the month coronavirus reached the UK.

From then the number of infections has skyrocketed, with Britain suffering its deadliest day yesterday as 708 were confirmed dead - raising the total to 4,353.

More than 41,000 people have now been infected, Britain is on total lockdown, and heroic healthcare workers are giving their lives to fight coronavirus.

HJS experts argue this could have been avoided if China had just fessed up and come clean.
Bob Seeley MP said: “Once we are through this crisis, we need to reassess our ability to deal with non-traditional threats to our society, be they economic, political or, in this case, a pandemic.

“We can't go through this shock again without being better prepared.”

The 15 MPs called on the Government to “rethink out wider relationship with China” off the back of the report.

In their letter, they added: “Over time, we have allowed ourselves to grow dependent on China and have failed to take a strategic view of Britain's long-term economic, technical and security needs.”

China is now facing pressure to come clean over the outbreak, with even US President Donald Trump speculating their figures may not be accurate.
It emerged today British security services are reportedly no longer ruling out the possibility that coronavirus leaked from a Chinese research lab in Wuhan.

Reportedly while intelligence still suggests that the virus originated from animals, the leak hypothesis is now no longer “discounted”.

A member of the emergency Cobra committee has been reported as saying the theory is now seen as a “credible” alternative.

Chinese embassy officials in London have said speculation about a cover-up disregards “tremendous efforts and huge sacrifice of China and its people”.

In a statement, an embassy spokesman added: “There has been no scientific or medical conclusion yet on the origin of Covid-19, as relevant tracing work is still underway.

“The WHO has made repeated statements that what the world is experiencing now is a global phenomenon, the source is undetermined, the focus should be on containment and any stigmatizing language referring to certain places must be avoided.”
China is believed to have tried to downplay the initial outbreak as the virus took hold in the city of Wuhan.

A doctor who first warned about the virus was threatened by police, and then last month Chinese officials suggested the US military may have been responsible for coronavirus.

China now claims it has weathered the virus storm, and yesterday mourned victims with a three minute silence as it positions itself as a world leader amid the pandemic.

The death toll for the nation is just over 3,300, and the number of cases is around 82,000.

While once China was leading the figures, the US, Spain, Italy, France and Germany have all surged ahead.

The global infection count is now over 1.2million, with America facing over 300,000 cases.

However, it has been speculated the China's death toll is much higher - with suggestions Wuhan alone could be as many as 42,000.
US congressman Michael McCaul accused China of the “one of the worst cover-ups in human history” last month while speaking on Fox News.

He accused the Communist Party of a “systematic whitewash” and called for an international investigation to “hold the Chinese government to account”.

Mr McCaul, a Republican member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said: “Now we have a global pandemic that originated out of Wuhan.

“They allowed millions of people to come to Wuhan to celebrate their Spring festival.

“Five million of them leading the area and traveling domestically and abroad – they went into laboratories and shut them down – destroyed laboratory samples and they detained eight of the doctors trying to speak the truth about what really happened in Wuhan.”
Half the world’s population are now in lockdown as governments attempt to slow the spread of the virus.

Only 18 nations in the world are yet to confirm an infection - including North Korea, Yemen and a number of nations in the South Pacifc.

And as the UK bathes in sunshine this weekend sparking fears of the virus spreading, The Queen is due to address the nation tonight at 8pm.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11331570/ ... mic-court/

Postby popeye21 » Thu Apr 02, 2020 2:27 am

Gravitas: Wuhan CoronaVirus | Pictures that China doesn't want you to see | World News|Corona Update

Has China defeated the coronavirus? Is Beijing reporting the right numbers? China says it has the coronavirus outbreak under control. But several reports tell a different tale. In Wuhan, clashes broke out after the restrictions were lifted.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_gUM8 ... O3adPW9K1g

by popeye21 » Thu Apr 02, 2020 6:40 am

popeye21 wrote:
Video titled :-

I found the source of the outbreak
https://www.youtu.be/bpQFCcS10pU


The previous link is no longer working.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=213789

China owes us £531 billion: Britain should pursue Beijing through international courts for coronavirus compensation, major study claims as 15 top Tories urge 'reset' in UK relations with country
Harry Cole For The Mail On Sunday 1 day ago
Britain should pursue the Chinese government through international courts for £351 billion in coronavirus compensation, a major study into the crisis has concluded.


It comes as 15 senior Tories led by former Deputy Prime Minister Damian Green write to Boris Johnson to demand a 'rethink and a reset' in relations with Beijing.

The first comprehensive investigation into the global economic impact of the outbreak concludes that the G7 group of the world's leading economies have been hit by a £3.2 trillion bill that could have been avoided if the Chinese Communist Party had been open and honest about the outbreak late last year.
Britain's slice of the compensation sum includes the full cost of Chancellor Rishi Sunak's economic bailout and hike in NHS spending in response to the crisis. The landmark study also directly highlights crunch British policy decisions made earlier this year – such as not cancelling flights from London to Wuhan in January – that were hampered or directly affected by misinformation from China and the acquiescent World Health Organisation.
The report, to be published tomorrow by the Henry Jackson Society, a British foreign policy think-tank, says there is evidence that China directly breached international healthcare treaty responsibilities, and outlines ten legal avenues major nations could take to pursue damages from them.
It is titled 'Coronavirus Compensation: Assessing China's potential culpability and avenues of legal response' and concludes: 'The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) sought to conceal bad news at the top, and to conceal bad news from the outside world.

Now China has responded by deploying an advanced and sophisticated disinformation campaign to convince the world that it is not to blame for the crisis, and that instead the world should be grateful for all that China is doing. 'The truth is that China is responsible for Covid-19 – and if legal claims were brought against Beijing they could amount to trillions of pounds.'

Legal avenues include bringing a case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague against China for breaking sanitary commitments, going to the UN and International Court of Justice, or the World Trade Organisation.

On the back of the report, four former Cabinet Ministers and 11 other Conservative MPs have jointly written to the Prime Minister to accuse China and demand a 'rethink' in relations. Mr Green and ex-Ministers Iain Duncan Smith, David Davis and Owen Paterson say they are 'concerned about the damage to the rules-based system caused by China's non-compliance with international treaties.'
Their letter reads; 'Legally binding international healthcare regulations require states to provide full information on all potential pandemics. It appears likely that in its early response to the outbreak, the uphold its obligations.
'This omission allowed the disease to spread throughout the world with extraordinarily serious consequences in terms of global health and the economy. The cost to the UK may be, as a Henry Jackson Society report now suggests, over £350 billion.'

And they demand: 'Once the crisis has passed, we urge the Government to rethink our wider relationship with China. Over time, we have allowed ourselves to grow dependent on China and have failed to take a strategic view of Britain's long-term economic, technical and security needs.'

Last night Bob Seeley, a member of the Commons select committee on foreign affairs and who is another of the signatories, said: 'Once we are through this crisis, we need to reassess our ability to deal with non-traditional threats to our society, be they economic, political or, in this case, a pandemic. We can't go through this shock again without being better prepared.'
Last week the Chinese Embassy in London launched an astonishing rebuttal of reports in last weekend's Mail on Sunday that Downing Street had been warned that China's coronavirus figures were 'out by a factor of 15 to 40'.
They said British government officials had said the 'reported remarks do not represent government position' and the Britain had 'spoken highly of China's contribution to the global response'. A No10 source said they were not aware of any conversations taking place. The Chinese Embassy declined to be interviewed by the MoS yesterday.

The trail of misinformation
How Britain's policymakers were hampered by Chinese misinformation about coronavirus throughout January…

January 13: First official Whitehall response to Covid-19 – a meeting of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG). WHO reports, based on Chinese data, claim no evidence of medics contracting the disease, only 41 cases and no 'significant' human-to-human transmission. All of this was untrue. But NERVTAG concludes 'based on current available information' that 'risk to the UK population is considered: Very Low' and does not recommend shutting borders.

January 21: WHO decides it is not possible to say if disease came from animals and had 'some' human-to-human transmission, or had 'self-sustaining human transmission'. The latter is true and – by this stage – well known in China. NERVTAG moves threat to 'low' but notes that it was concluded by the WHO that the 'currently available data' did not make it possible to distinguish between the two scenarios.

January 28: NERVTAG recognises, based on a WHO Emergency Committee meeting of January 22, that human-to-human transmission is occurring and says that in a 'large amount of the data' from China, provincial information is not given.

January 30: NERVTAG warns that 'China may not be diagnosing milder cases'. The following day coronavirus reaches the UK.

Stay at home to stop coronavirus spreading - here is what you can and can't do. If you think you have the virus, don't go to the GP or hospital, stay indoors and get advice online. Only call NHS 111 if you cannot cope with your symptoms at home; your condition gets worse; or your symptoms do not get better after seven days. In parts of Wales where 111 isn't available, call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47. In Scotland, anyone with symptoms is advised to self-isolate for seven days. In Northern Ireland, call your GP.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/news/ch ... li=AAnZ9Ug

Postby popeye21 » Thu Apr 02, 2020 2:27 am

Gravitas: Wuhan CoronaVirus | Pictures that China doesn't want you to see | World News|Corona Update

Has China defeated the coronavirus? Is Beijing reporting the right numbers? China says it has the coronavirus outbreak under control. But several reports tell a different tale. In Wuhan, clashes broke out after the restrictions were lifted.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_gUM8 ... O3adPW9K1g

by popeye21 » Thu Apr 02, 2020 6:40 am

popeye21 wrote:
Video titled :-

I found the source of the outbreak
https://www.youtu.be/bpQFCcS10pU


The previous link is no longer working.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=213789

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_gUM8 ... O3adPW9K1g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpQFCcSI0pU

Gravitas: Wuhan CoronaVirus | Pictures that China doesn't want you to see | World News|Corona Update

Has China defeated the coronavirus? Is Beijing reporting the right numbers? China says it has the coronavirus outbreak under control. But several reports tell a different tale. In Wuhan, clashes broke out after the restrictions were lifted.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQRvDBgwb20

The link previously attached to this post now brings up a completely different video, but the link above has the right one, well for now.

Below is my post copied from last Thursday. The Gravitas link now brings up a completely different video. A new link for that video is :-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQRvDBgwb20

The video 'I found the source' now has the link :-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpQFCcSI0pU



Is this the source of the Coronavirus
Video titled :-
I found the source of the outbreak
https://www.youtu.be/bpQFCcS10pU

Pictures that China doesn't want you to see
Gravitas: Wuhan CoronaVirus | Pictures that China doesn't want you to see | World News|Corona Update
Has China defeated the coronavirus? Is Beijing reporting the right numbers? China says it has the coronavirus outbreak under control. But several reports tell a different tale. In Wuhan, clashes broke out after the restrictions were lifted.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_gUM8 ... O3adPW9K1g

That's two videos with information China doesn't want aired that have either had the links broken or videos changed.However, more information is leaking all the time, with the latest copied below :-

Evidence mounts COVID-19 came from a lab in Wuhan.

https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6147525847001

I must congratulate Annis for keeping all the disinformation bullshit on one thread.

I must congratulate Annis for keeping all the disinformation bullshit on one thread.

So you don't believe that China withheld information about the outbreak or that they've been appointed to the UN panel that picks the people who monitor Freedom of Speech; Health; Enforced Disappearances; and Arbitrary Detention?

Coronavirus Compensation? Assessing China’s Potential Culpability and Avenues of Legal Response
5th April 2020
By Matthew Henderson, Dr Alan Mendoza, Dr Andrew Foxall, James Rogers, and Sam Armstrong

Global lawsuits against China for “patent breaches” of the International Health Regulations over its handling of COVID-19 could run to at least £3.2 trillion from just the nations of the G7, according to a newly released report.

The report claims that the Chinese government’s early handling of the disease and failure to adequately report information to the WHO breached Articles Six and Seven of the International Health Regulations [IHRs], a Treaty to which China is a signatory and legally obliged to uphold. These breaches allowed the outbreak to rapidly spread outside Wuhan, its place of origin.

In particular, our research has discovered that the Chinese government:
Failed to disclose data that would have revealed evidence of human-to-human transmission for a period of up to three weeks from being aware of it, in breach of Articles six and seven of the IHRs.
Provided the WHO with erroneous information about the number of infections between 2 January 2020 and 11 January 2020, in breach of Articles Six and Seven of the IHRs.
Failed to proscribe avoidable vectors of lethal zoonotic (animal-originated) viral infection, instead actively promoting the massive proliferation of dangerous viral host species for human consumption in breach of Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.
Allowed 5 million people (roughly equivalent to the size of The San Francisco Metropolitan Area, CA or Greater Boston, MA in the USA, and roughly five times the size of a city the size of Birmingham, UK) to leave Wuhan before imposing the lockdown on 23 January 2020 despite knowledge of human-to-human transmission.
The minutes of the UK’s scientific advisory group on new and emerging viral threats record how the lack of information delayed the response to the virus including the lack of travel screening, according to an outline in the report. A University of Southampton study has previously found that — should strict quarantine measures have been introduced three weeks earlier — the disease’s spread would have been reduced by some 95%.

As a result of the breaches of international law, the report assesses that potential damages liable against China at the time of writing could run to £3.2 ($4) trillion from just the G7 nations. The UK is said to have a claim worth a potential £351 billion ($449 billion) in damages based on formally announced government spending. Using the same methodology, the US meanwhile could claim £933.3 billion ($1,200 billion), Canada £47.9 billion ($59 billion), and Australia £29.9 billion ($37 billion). The report utilises formally announced spending as of 5th April 2020, rather than total projected spending over the entire duration of the crisis – which is expected to be far greater – as the latter figure will not be known for several months.

Acknowledging the difficulties in securing international justice, the report offers ten different potential legal avenues for action against China across domestic and international jurisdictional venues. While many of these enforce treaties other than IHRs, the report argues that public international lawyers might — as has previously been done — make use of relevant clauses in order to uphold international norms. The Henry Jackson Society’s recommendations include making use of the International Court of Justice; Permanent Court of Arbitration; Hong Kong Courts; dispute resolutions through Bilateral Investment Treaties; and actions at the WTO.
Read the report
In the Words of the Co-author

“The Chinese Communist Party has learnt no lessons from its failure in the SARS epidemic of 2002-3.Their repeated blunders, lies and disinformation, from the start of the COVID-19 epidemic, have already had far more deadly consequences.

This report apportions no blame to the people of China for what has happened. They are innocent victims, like the rest of us. This is the fault of the CCP.

How this will translate into practice, time will tell. By computing the cost of damage caused to advanced economies and assembling a series of possible legal processes to which the rules-based order can have recourse, we offer a sense of how the free world might seek recompense for the appalling harm the CCP has done.”

Matthew Henderson

Frequently Asked Questions



WHAT ARE THE INTERNATIONAL HEALTH REGULATIONS?

The International Health Regulations (2005) are the internationally binding rules that place obligations on member states in the handling of health issues and, in particular, for the management of highly transmissible diseases. They were adopted in the aftermath of the 2003 SARS outbreak in which China was criticised for failing to adequately disclose information. The rules are enforceable both through WHO dispute resolution mechanisms and potentially through ICJ jurisdiction.

WHAT WERE CHINA’S OBLIGATIONS?

The International Health Regulations require that states monitor and share all information regarding “clinical descriptions, laboratory results, sources and type of risk, numbers of human cases and deaths, conditions affecting the spread of the disease, and the health measures employed” with respect to potential outbreaks. Michael Gove, the UK’s Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has said that in the case of COVID-19 “some of the reporting from China was not clear about the scale, the nature, the infectiousness of this” disease”.

https://henryjacksonsociety.org/publica ... pensation/

Sneggy, I'll make it easy for you so don't have to read it all, just read the three extracts from the previous post.

'Failed to disclose data that would have revealed evidence of human-to-human transmission for a period of up to three weeks from being aware of it, in breach of Articles six and seven of the IHRs.'

' A University of Southampton study has previously found that — should strict quarantine measures have been introduced three weeks earlier — the disease’s spread would have been reduced by some 95%.'

'In the Words of the Co-author

“The Chinese Communist Party has learnt no lessons from its failure in the SARS epidemic of 2002-3.Their repeated blunders, lies and disinformation, from the start of the COVID-19 epidemic, have already had far more deadly consequences.'

It looks to me like the PRC is the one providing disinformation. The 3 weeks lost which could have reduced the spread by 95%, that's a lot of lives lost and trillions of dollars of costs worldwide through the PRC's lies and disinformation.

The next two paragraphs are from the link at the bottom of the page and highlights the 3 week warning from Taiwan, who intercepted the warning from the Wuhan whistleblower Dr Li Wenliang.

'Taiwan is denied membership of the WHO as most governments and global bodies do not recognise Taiwan as a sovereign state. So Taiwan had to adopt a 'go-it-alone' approach. Taiwan did try to alert the WHO about a new human to human virus end Dec '19 but Mainland China denied such a virus existed. The WHO took no action and the world lost about 3 weeks until China finally revealed news on the virus. You can read more here - https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3904054

In that crucial 3 week period Taiwan halted flights from parts of Mainland China and monitored visitors from affected regions. Though Taiwan was one of the first places to be infected outside of the Mainland, to date there are 230 cases and 2 deaths. There has been a large increase in the past 10 days or so as many people return from overseas carrying the virus with them, so that number is likely to increase.'


viewtopic.php?f=2&t=213789

Sneggy, Taiwan acted upon the information, but due to the lies and disinformation from the PRC, Taiwan now has just 376 cases and 5 deaths. Also, businesses haven't suffered and life for most goes on pretty much as normal. The rest of the world has suffered from socio-economic collapse, with thousands dying and effects that will last for decades. Yet you think that this thread is full of disinformation? Are you a member of the communist party by any chance? I hope you don't get family or friends who lose people close to them from the virus, because if you tell them that China isn't at fault I don't think that they will be very happy. Just for clarity, I don't blame Chinese people who I always find very nice and principled, but just the Chinese Government.

Sneggy, Taiwan acted upon the information, but due to the lies and disinformation from the PRC, Taiwan now has just 376 cases and 5 deaths. Also, businesses haven't suffered and life for most goes on pretty much as normal. The rest of the world has suffered from socio-economic collapse, with thousands dying and effects that will last for decades. Yet you think that this thread is full of disinformation? Are you a member of the communist party by any chance? I hope you don't get family or friends who lose people close to them from the virus, because if you tell them that China isn't a The rest of the world has suffered from socio-economic collapse, with thousands dying and effects that will last for decades. t fault I don't think that they will be very happy. Just for clarity, I don't blame Chinese people who I always find very nice and principled, but just the Chinese Government.

Sorry it should read :-
Sneggy, Taiwan acted upon the information, but due to the lies and disinformation from the PRC, the rest of the world has suffered from socio-economic collapse, with thousands dying and effects that will last for decades.Taiwan now has just 376 cases and 5 deaths. Also, businesses haven't suffered and life for most goes on pretty much as normal.Yet you think that this thread is full of disinformation? Are you a member of the communist party by any chance? I hope you don't get family or friends who lose people close to them from the virus, because if you tell them that China isn't at fault I don't think that they will be very happy. Just for clarity, I don't blame Chinese people who I always find very nice and principled, but just the Chinese Government.

China bought 2bn masks while denying COVID-19

The PRC bought up most of the masks and protective clothing available around the world, despite the fact that they make over half the worlds supply of masks, while telling the WHO that there was no virus spreading human to human.

Steve Bannon: Blood is on the hands of the Chinese Communist Party
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjlj7KkzyqU

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=214058

No wonder European countries have had problems sourcing PPE.

I must congratulate Annis for keeping all the disinformation bullshit on one thread.

you don't think China haven't acted poorly ?

Anyone who doesn't believe that China is at fault for lying about the Coronavirus should watch Anastasia Lin's speech to the Oxford Union (from 09:35, but it's worth listening to the whole speech).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFqg8ZNtUlc

The WHO v coronavirus: why it can't handle the pandemic

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/a ... e-pandemic

A long read, but it highlights the effectiveness under Brundtland's leadership of the WHO, resulting in the SARS pandemic only reaching 26 countries with fewer than 1,000 deaths. Brundtland confronted China, resulting in an official report about SARS the following day. IMHO Timid Ted, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, was not brave or confident enough to confront the PRC about the leaked HTH transmitting Coronavirus.

Coronavirus: US to halt funding to WHO, says Trump

US President Donald Trump says he has instructed his administration to halt funding to the World Health Organization (WHO).

He said the WHO had "failed in its basic duty" in its response to the coronavirus outbreak.

He accused the UN body of mismanaging and covering up the spread of the virus after it emerged in China, and said it must be held accountable.

Mr Trump has previously accused the WHO of being biased towards China.

The US president has himself come under criticism at home over his handling of the outbreak.

"I am directing my administration to halt funding while a review is conducted to assess the World Health Organization's role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus," Mr Trump told a news conference at the White House.

"The WHO failed in its basic duty and it must be held accountable," he added.

Reacting to Mr Trump's remarks, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said now was "not the time" to be cutting resources for the WHO.

The US is the WHO's biggest single funder, providing $400m (£316m) last year - just under 15% of its total budget.

China's contribution in 2018-19 was almost $76m in assessed contributions and about $10m in voluntary funding, according to the WHO website.

The organisation launched an appeal in March for $675m to help fight the pandemic and is reported to be planning a fresh appeal for at least $1bn.

"With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have deep concerns whether America's generosity has been put to the best use possible," the president said.
President Trump accused the WHO of having failed to adequately assess the outbreak when it first emerged in the city of Wuhan.

"Had the WHO done its job to get medical experts into China to objectively assess the situation on the ground and to call out China's lack of transparency, the outbreak could have been contained at its source with very little death," he told reporters.

"This would have saved thousands of lives and avoided worldwide economic damage. Instead, the WHO willingly took China's assurances to face value... and defended the actions of the Chinese government."

White House reporters pointed out, however, that Mr Trump himself praised China's response to the outbreak and downplayed the danger of the virus at home.
The US is the worst-affected country in the coronavirus pandemic with 608,377 cases and 25,981 deaths.
What about the lockdowns?
Speaking in the Rose Garden at the White House, President Trump also said that plans to reopen the country were "close to being finalised".

Mr Trump caused a furore on Monday when he said that he, and not state governors, had the authority to lift lockdowns and restart the economy.

But on Tuesday, he changed his position, saying: "The governors are responsible. They have to take charge."

"The federal government will be watching them closely. We will hold governors accountable, but will be working with them to make sure it goes really well."

Experts agree it is the governors who are responsible for policing their states under US law.


Media captionGovernor Andrew Cuomo: 'We don't have a king, we have a president'
Earlier on Tuesday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo accused President Trump of "spoiling for a fight".

"We don't have a king, we have a president," he said.

New York state has the most cases, with almost 190,000 cases and over 10,000 deaths. However, there are signs of improvement with the number of people there needing hospital treatment falling for the first time.

Trump targets China's growing influence
At one level, this move is about the coronavirus. Administration officials have been sharply accusing the WHO of missteps in the handling of the pandemic, saying it was biased towards China.

They say the WHO was too ready to support China's deceptive early claims about the virus and then didn't push hard enough against Beijing's attempts to cover up its misinformation. In particular President Trump has latched onto the WHO's criticism of his travel restrictions against China.

But at another level, the move to defund the WHO is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to curtail China's growing global influence.

The argument is that Chinese leadership in international organisations undermines the rules-based, accountable international system needed to prevent and fight a pandemic.

But, the Wall Street Journal reports that the decision also stems from an ongoing discussion on whether to link US aid dollars to the number of Americans working in the groups that receive them.

Why has the WHO faced criticism?
It is not the first time the WHO's response to the outbreak has come under scrutiny.

In February, it said that widespread travel restrictions were not needed to stop the spread of Covid-19 - advice that was eventually ignored by most countries.

In March, the UN agency was also accused of being unduly influenced by China after a senior official refused to discuss Taiwan's response to the outbreak.

Meanwhile, some health experts also say that the WHO's guidance on face masks has led to public confusion.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-52289056

Sneggy, Taiwan acted upon the information, but due to the lies and disinformation from the PRC, Taiwan now has just 376 cases and 5 deaths. Also, businesses haven't suffered and life for most goes on pretty much as normal. The rest of the world has suffered from socio-economic collapse, with thousands dying and effects that will last for decades. Yet you think that this thread is full of disinformation? Are you a member of the communist party by any chance? I hope you don't get family or friends who lose people close to them from the virus, because if you tell them that China isn't at fault I don't think that they will be very happy. Just for clarity, I don't blame Chinese people who I always find very nice and principled, but just the Chinese Government.

The rest of the world hasn't suffered socio-economic economic COLLAPSE though has it?

Sneggy, Taiwan acted upon the information, but due to the lies and disinformation from the PRC, Taiwan now has just 376 cases and 5 deaths. Also, businesses haven't suffered and life for most goes on pretty much as normal. The rest of the world has suffered from socio-economic collapse, with thousands dying and effects that will last for decades. Yet you think that this thread is full of disinformation? Are you a member of the communist party by any chance? I hope you don't get family or friends who lose people close to them from the virus, because if you tell them that China isn't at fault I don't think that they will be very happy. Just for clarity, I don't blame Chinese people who I always find very nice and principled, but just the Chinese Government.

The rest of the world hasn't suffered socio-economic economic COLLAPSE though has it?

Stop nit-picking. The world is in unprecedented times. People can't visit friends, family or even neighbours. They can't go to pubs, bars, restaurants, clubs, theatres, concerts, museums or tourist attractions. They can't go out except for essential items like food and medicine, or for exercise or banking (some can't even do that and have to have deliveries). Plus the hours of opening are limited and social distancing is in place. Schools are closed and people can't travel. People have to work from home if possible and many will lose their jobs and businesses will go bust, yet you don't think the world has suffered socio-economic collapse.

Sneggy, Taiwan acted upon the information, but due to the lies and disinformation from the PRC, Taiwan now has just 376 cases and 5 deaths. Also, businesses haven't suffered and life for most goes on pretty much as normal. The rest of the world has suffered from socio-economic collapse, with thousands dying and effects that will last for decades. Yet you think that this thread is full of disinformation? Are you a member of the communist party by any chance? I hope you don't get family or friends who lose people close to them from the virus, because if you tell them that China isn't at fault I don't think that they will be very happy. Just for clarity, I don't blame Chinese people who I always find very nice and principled, but just the Chinese Government.

The rest of the world hasn't suffered socio-economic economic COLLAPSE though has it?

Stop nit-picking. The world is in unprecedented times. People can't visit friends, family or even neighbours. They can't go to pubs, bars, restaurants, clubs, theatres, concerts, museums or tourist attractions. They can't go out except for essential items like food and medicine, or for exercise or banking (some can't even do that and have to have deliveries). Plus the hours of opening are limited and social distancing is in place. Schools are closed and people can't travel. People have to work from home if possible and many will lose their jobs and businesses will go bust, yet you don't think the world has suffered socio-economic collapse.

Half of Humanity Remains Under Coronavirus Lockdown as Govts Brood on Easing Restrictions
https://www.news18.com/news/world/half- ... 82359.html