I hate to see you getting down-voted because I do agree with point one. It won't diminish Chinese influence at all. In fact, it might increase their influence. China has always worked to replace America, why not at the UN?

China and Russia have been increasing soft power significantly over the past few years by filling voids the USA has left. We have been leaving the table, and they have been taking our seats.

It will surely increase China's influence over the WHO itself, but so what? It will substantially decrease the influence of the WHO in general. It is likely that Australia and other countries will cut funding as well.

The real story may well end up be that China used the WHO to benefit them at the expense of everyone else, severely damaging the reputation of the WHO.

If it were up to me, I would do the same thing as Trump. I'm not saying that Trump isn't distracting people, but that does not mean he is wrong about the WHO. China has a lot of influence over the WHO, and the actions of the WHO benefited China while slowing down the rest of the world's response to the pandemic.

At best, the WHO is dangerously ineffective. But seeing as how China groomed their leader, who had previously helped China cover up cholera outbreaks outside of their factories, it seems likely that the WHO was just helping buy China time while they stocked up on supplies, while it spread.

I'm curious, can anyone defend the WHO, or justify giving them money? Let China pay them all they want. It is essentially just the de-facto CHO at this point.

Once upon a time, the USSR quit the UN Security Council in protest over something or other.

China's seat was held by Taiwan at the time, so we wound up with a UN-endorsed anti-communist war in Korea despite China and Russia both being actually communist.

They rejoined the Security Council after that.

The goal seems to be to reduce the WHO's influence, not China's.

The US funds about $118 million per year to the who (roughly double what China pays).

https://www.who.int/about/finances-accountability/funding/as...

Trump's stupidity aside, I think it's hard to argue that the WHO didn't make serious errors and delayed various recommendations and warnings at the suggestion of China.

I think the questions we should ask is... "What are we paying 118 million per year for if they're going to lie to us during the biggest outbreak in modern history?".