The theory goes (which I'm not espousing just relaying) that you could simply bribe top WHO officials and avoid having to provide magnitudes of money.

The WHO has been in scandal before regarding [exorbitant spending on travel.] (https://apnews.com/3d8569ea7bd140e4ba02bc1712cd12ab)

I don't know if it's bribery at work here. Rather, it's anger at American behavior over the last decades which is pushing it closer to China. America is the WHO's primary superpower sponsor, and protector. In the courtship of a new sponsor, China, it could be just that: stoking anger and offering a choice.

I don't know either. I think all of this is obviously couched in the fact that the poor initial US response to Coronavirus has made it politically expedient to [make this a story about China] (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-memo-advises-candidates...)

That doesn't mean the WHO or China have clean hands, just that in an election year for the US my bias would lean towards this being about politics.

That's one of the biggest flaws of the Trump administration's thinking - that everything is always about money.

In my limited experience, people join NGOs like the WHO because they seek influence, recognition, or personal "mission" based fulfillment.

If China has been developing relationships and giving officials the above, then it absolutely could have influence far outside its financial contributions.

Because they've actually have been trying to manipulate this institution and the west has generally frowned on corruption in necessary institutions. Its one of the big things that is in the west core beliefs. This is why this is taken seriously. At this point, it would be against the US beliefs to manipulate the WHO so the only thing it can do is build a new one free of corruption from the ground up. It happens a lot.

East is corrupt and west is not. Right!

Does it ever occur to you that other agencies might have better relationships and trust with other countries? That people might just not respond very well to bullying money or not ?

I'm saying a communist dictatorship is corrupt. Most of what "western" and I include japan, Taiwan, SE Asian, and Korea in that is nitpicking for the greater good.

I think if those agency have better relations with countries who ideology and goals are stark contrast with your that is corruption at least in the west eyes. If that agency ideology has change its very reasonable to leave.

What do you expect the US to do? Let very blatant misuse of their resource and personnel continue. I'm pretty sure most Americans would let their country burn before that occurred.