China plans to nominate Song Li for WHO director-general, Reuters reports
In short
China plans to enter the race to succeed Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as World Health Organization director-general, proposing senior public health official Song Li, Reuters reported, citing Geneva diplomatic sources. Six countries — Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Qatar, Botswana, Indonesia and Spain — have already nominated candidates, and the WHO is due to publish the full list in early November. The race comes after the United States withdrew from the WHO in January, forcing the agency to cut its budget, programmes and about a quarter of its staff.
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China plans to enter the race for the next director-general of the World Health Organization, Reuters reported on October 6 local time, citing Geneva diplomatic sources, according to Yonhap, Kyunghyang Shinmun and Seoul Economic Daily. The reported candidate is Song Li, described as a senior Chinese public health official. Song Li and China's mission in Geneva did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment, the reports said. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that Song Li is secretary-general of the secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation and previously served as director-general of the maternal and child health department at the National Health Commission. The reports said she has built about 20 years of expertise in maternal and child health policy and international cooperation. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Six countries have already formally nominated candidates: Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Qatar, Botswana, Indonesia and Spain. A Chinese candidacy would bring the field to seven. The WHO is due to publish the complete list of confirmed candidates in early November, after its regional committee meetings finish, according to the reports. The executive board is then expected to narrow the field to three candidates in January, with the World Health Assembly electing the winner in May, Kyunghyang Shinmun reported. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
If Song Li were elected to succeed Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, she would be the second Chinese-national WHO director-general, after former director-general Margaret Chan of Hong Kong, Yonhap and Kyunghyang Shinmun reported. [ 1 , 3 ]
The election takes place as the WHO absorbs the loss of the United States, which withdrew in January. The reports said the agency has since cut its budget and programmes and reduced about a quarter of its total workforce. The US government said at the time that the WHO had pursued a political and bureaucratic agenda led by countries hostile to the interests of the United States, its largest financial contributor. Yonhap also reported that President Donald Trump signed a memorandum in January withdrawing the United States from 31 UN bodies and funds and 35 non-UN organisations. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
One diplomatic source told Reuters the Chinese move was a “clear signal” of Beijing's intent to fill the space left by the United States in the international community; Reuters noted that China has long sought to take on more responsibility in UN bodies and other multilateral forums. The Korean outlets carried the story from Reuters, and none reported independent confirmation of the nomination. [ 1 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The WHO is a global body whose leadership election is now taking place while its largest former funder, the United States, is absent — a gap Chinese outlets and the Reuters report say Beijing is seeking to fill across UN bodies. Whoever wins will oversee an agency that has already reduced its budget, programmes and roughly a quarter of its workforce, so the outcome shapes public health coordination well beyond China and the United States.
Key facts
- China plans to nominate a candidate for the next WHO director-general, Reuters reported, citing Geneva diplomatic sources [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- The reported candidate is Song Li, described as a senior Chinese public health official with about 20 years of expertise in maternal and child health policy and international cooperation [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- Song Li and China's mission in Geneva did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment [ 1 , 3 ]
- Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Qatar, Botswana, Indonesia and Spain have already formally nominated candidates, which would make a field of seven if China joins [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- The WHO plans to publish the complete list of candidates in early November, after regional committee meetings [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- The United States withdrew from the WHO in January, after which the agency cut its budget and programmes and reduced about a quarter of its total workforce [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- The US government said it left because the WHO pursued a political and bureaucratic agenda led by countries hostile to US interests [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- China intends to nominate a candidate for the next WHO director-general, according to Reuters, which cited Geneva diplomatic sources [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- Six countries — Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Qatar, Botswana, Indonesia and Spain — have already officially nominated candidates [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- The WHO will publish the full list of confirmed candidates in early November after regional committee meetings end [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- The United States withdrew from the WHO in January; the agency then cut its budget and programmes and shed about a quarter of its staff [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- Washington gave as its reason that the WHO pursued a political and bureaucratic agenda led by countries hostile to US interests [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- Whether China has formally submitted the nomination Song Li and China's Geneva mission did not answer Reuters' requests for comment, so the plan is reported on the basis of diplomatic sources only
- Song Li's exact current position Only one document specifies it, describing her as secretary-general of the All-China Women's Federation secretariat and a former director-general of the maternal and child health department at the National Health Commission; other documents describe her only as a senior public health official
- The final list and number of candidates The WHO has not yet published the confirmed list, and the documents say it is due in early November
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yonhap publishes its report on China's reported plan to nominate a WHO director-general candidate [ 1 ]
- Kukmin Ilbo follows with a summary report on the same Reuters story [ 2 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun publishes a fuller account including Song Li's posts and the WHO election schedule [ 3 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily reports the nomination plan and the WHO's reduced operations [ 4 ]
- Seoul Shinmun publishes its summary of the story [ 5 ]