China announces $2 billion in virus help at WHO assembly
China will provide $2 billion over two years to fight the coronavirus pandemic, President Xi Jinping said Monday, The Associated Press reported.
The European Union's 27-member bloc and other countries, meanwhile, called for an independent evaluation of WHO's initial response to the coronavirus pandemic “to review experience gained and lessons learned.”
In a speech to the World Health Assembly, Xi said China had provided all relevant outbreak data to WHO and other countries, including the virus' genetic sequence, “in a most timely fashion."
“We have shared control and treatment experience with the world without reservation,” Xi said. “We have done everything in our power to support and assist countries in need.”
The $2 billion over the next two years will support COVID-19 response efforts, particularly in developing countries, Xi said.
The EU resolution proposes that the independent evaluation should be initiated “at the earliest appropriate moment” and should, among other issues, examine “the actions of WHO and their timelines pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic.”