China Wants to Run the World Health Organization. America Left for Good Reasons, but It Cannot Ignore Who Takes Over
Beijing has nominated health official Song Li to succeed Tedros as WHO director-general, months after the U.S. completed its withdrawal. In our view, leaving was justified, and now Washington and its allies must watch this race closely.
By Clara Hughes
ALTAS WORLD NEWS OPINION | By Clara Hughes, Chief Opinion Editor | October 10, 2026 | 6-min read Remember the early days of COVID-19, when the World Health Organization seemed more interested in praising Beijing than in warning the world? Now China wants one of its own officials to run the place. On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning confirmed that China has nominated health official Song Li for WHO director-general, confirming an earlier Reuters report [1][2]. If elected, she would be the first person from mainland China to lead the agency, according to the South China Morning Post [3]. In our view, America was right to leave the WHO, but it would be a serious mistake to ignore who takes the wheel. Key Takeaways The next WHO director-general will be appointed at the World Health Assembly due in May 2027, after the Executive Board nominates up to three candidates [5]. The United States completed its withdrawal from the WHO in January, and all U.S. funding and staffing of WHO initiatives has ceased, Secretaries Rubio and Kennedy said [4]. China accounts for more than 20% of WHO