State Councilor hails Tedros' public health work, proposes cooperation to fight virus

China reiterated its firm support to the World Health Organization on Saturday, saying that standing behind the UN agency and its chief is safeguarding multilateralism.

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remark in a telephone conversation with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus after the international body has come under continued fire.

To support the WHO and its chief is to safeguard multilateralism, secure the role of the United Nations and maintain international solidarity as we confront the disease, Wang said.

The phone call came days after United States President Donald Trump accused the WHO of mismanaging the coronavirus pandemic, called the organization "China centric" and halted US funding to the UN body.

Wang said he believes that people can tell right from wrong.

He said that Tedros was elected as WHO director-general with a big majority of votes and has trust among member states.

Noting that Tedros is the first director-general from a developing country and especially from the African continent, Wang hailed Tedros' work committed to global public health since taking office in 2017.

Smear campaigns and attacks against the organization are groundless and attempts to pressure it are unpopular, he said, and no country with a conscience would support such moves.

As the disease rages through the globe, people in all countries need the WHO, which plays an important role in saving lives and eradicating the virus, Wang said.

China attaches high importance to the status and role of the WHO and is willing to enhance support for the organization through various means, he said.

China is willing to cooperate with countries worldwide to jointly strive for a complete victory over the disease, he said.

Tedros expressed gratitude to China for its firm and lasting support for the WHO, calling for solidarity in the international community to fight the coronavirus.

If the international community is divided, the virus will swoop in and spread fast, he said, warning that the pandemic would then last longer and kill more people.

Despite the various attacks and accusations against the WHO and him personally for months, Tedros said that as long as the WHO upholds the truth and does the right thing, the history will vindicate it and the truth will eventually come to light.

Xinhua contributed to this story.