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WHO Fight With the U.S. Highlights Why Africa is So Important to China

by Eric Olander
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a daily press briefing on COVID-19 at the WHO headquarters in Geneva on March 11, 2020. Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

African leaders are rallying to the defense of World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus following Tuesday’s broadside attack from U.S. President Donald Trump against the health body for failing to move fast enough to contain the COVID-19 outbreak when it first emerged in China last year.

Both WHO and Ghebreyesus have been the targets of steady criticism by U.S. conservatives for being too close to China in their view, even suggesting that the organization “kowtows” to Beijing.

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