Lawmakers call on WHO chief to retract pro-China comments on coronavirus

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A resolution being introduced in both the House and the Senate is calling on the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) to retract “highly misleading” statements about the Chinese government’s response to the coronavirus.

The resolution, introduced by Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., calls on Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to retract what they called “highly misleading statements of support for the response of the Government of the People’s Republic of China.”

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"For the first time, #China has reported no domestic #COVID19 cases yesterday. This is an amazing achievement, which gives us all reassurance that the #coronavirus can be beaten," Tedros tweeted.

The lawmakers also flagged comments he made in January, praising the Chinese commitment and “transparency.”

“We appreciate the seriousness with which China is taking this outbreak, especially the commitment from top leadership, and the transparency they have demonstrated, including sharing data and genetic sequence of the virus,” he said. “WHO is working closely with the government on measures to understand the virus and limit transmission. WHO will keep working side-by-side with China and all other countries to protect health and keep people safe.”

Those remarks have also drawn criticism from other Republican senators such as Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who accused him of repeating a “lie that there was no evidence coronavirus could be spread from person to person.”

“The actions of the Chinese Communist Party exacerbated the public health crisis plaguing the international community, and instead of prioritizing global health, Dr. Tedros and the WHO played favoritism to China,” he said in a statement to RealClearPolitics.

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The resolution from Sens. Blackburn and Cotton, which has a companion version in the House, takes aim primarily at the Chinese government, calling out the suppression of journalists and doctors who warned about the virus early on.

“Chinese officials destroyed early COVID-19 test kits, suppressed information and refused international assistance,”  Blackburn said in a statement. “The Communist Party is so petrified of the truth that they kicked out journalists and fabricated a story of where the virus originated. It’s time the Communist Party admits to the serious missteps that heightened the severity and spread of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”

“The Chinese Communist Party wasted precious weeks on a cynical coverup instead of containing the China virus at its epicenter,” Sen. Cotton said. “Our first priority after protecting Americans must be holding China accountable for unleashing this plague on the world.”

The resolution calls on China to state that there is no evidence that the virus originated anywhere but China, to end forced labor programs and the persecution of minorities, and to reject the conspiracy theory -- promoted by Chinese officials -- that the U.S. Army placed the virus in Wuhan.

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It’s part of a broader fight between the U.S. and China over the virus. The U.S. is trying to get statements at both the United Nations and G-7 to state specifically that the virus originated in Wuhan.

President Trump has also accused China of causing harm with its “secretive approach” but has also emphasized his good relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping.