$500m pledge makes China top WHO donor after US withdrawal
China has pledged $500 million over five years to the World Health Organization, stepping in as the largest state donor after the United States' withdrawal from the United Nations health agency.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong made the commitment during the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva. The pledge comes as the WHO grapples with its deepest financial crisis in decades, caused by President Donald Trump's decision in January to withdraw from the agency and stop funding. The U.S., previously the largest contributor, left a $600 million shortfall in the organization's 2025 budget.
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Lucy Xiaolu Wang is Assistant Professor, Department of Resource Economics, UMass Amherst. Nahim Bin Zahur Assistant Professor of Economics, Queen's University, Ontario. The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. External Link © The Conversation