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International Telecommunications Union Secretary-General Houlin Zhao (File photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

"Chinese influence in the United Nations and its affiliated international organizations has been expanding significantly over the past decade.
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The most glaring example is the obsequious treatment China received from the World Health Organization despite its lack of transparency and cooperation on COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. However, that is hardly the only example.

Another is the International Telecommunication Union, which has been led by China's Houlin Zhao as secretary-general since 2015 following his election at the organization's plenipotentiary conference. Founded in 1865 as the International Telegraph Union, the global entity is responsible for issues related to information and communication technologies.

Even before he became secretary-general of the union, Zhao had sought to insulate China from agreed practices on internet governance. He actively attempted to undermine the role of ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned of Names and Numbers), the private, nonprofit entity responsible for coordinating key processes and procedures necessary for the internet to operate smoothly and doing so through a governance structure with multiple stakeholders.
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Since becoming secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union, Zhao has championed Beijing's priorities in violation of his obligation to be a neutral international civil servant..."

Chinese Leadership Corrupts Another UN Organization Article

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (File photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

"China's President Xi Jinping reportedly pressured the director of the World Health Organization in January to hold off issuing a global warning about the coronavirus outbreak.

German media outlet Der Spiegel, citing intelligence from the country's intelligence service, Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), reported the pressure came in a Jan. 21 call to WHO leader Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The BND estimated China's action to conceal information resulted in a loss of four to six weeks in the fight against COVID-19.
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President Donald Trump has condemned China for holding back critical information about the virus to the world, including failing to accurately report on the number of cases - and called WHO a 'pipe organ' for China's communist party last month."

Report: China President Xi Pressured WHO Leader To Hold Back On Virus Warning Article

Chinese leader Xi Jinping speaking at the United Nations (File photo)

"Chinese President Xi Jinping pressured the director of the World Health Organization in January to hold off on issuing a global warning about the coronavirus outbreak, according to a report in a German newspaper.

The Jan. 21 conversation between Jinping and WHO leader Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was reported in Der Spiegel, which cited intelligence from Germany's federal intelligence service, known as the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND).

The report published over the weekend said Xi urged the WHO chief to 'delay a global warning' about the pandemic and hold back information on human-to-human transmission of the virus.

The BND estimated that China's action to conceal information resulted in a loss of four to six weeks in the fight against COVID-19..."

China pressured WHO to delay global coronavirus warning: report Article