Tedros Adhanom, director general of the WHO, left, shakes hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping before a meeting in Beijing, Jan. 28. Tedros Adhanom, director general of the WHO, left, shakes hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping before a meeting in Beijing, Jan. 28. (AP photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China reportedly pressured the World Health Organization (WHO) to avoid declaring the novel coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency, which would have triggered an earlier coordinated international response to the illness already infecting more than 20,000 worldwide.

The UN body convened emergency meetings on this issue on Jan. 22 and 23, but stopped short of determining the outbreak, which originates from China's Wuhan, a public health emergency of international concern. It was not until Jan. 30, when the virus apparently spread out of control, that the WHO made the declaration.

French newspaper Le Monde revealed in a report on Jan. 29 that the postponement of the decision was due to Chinese meddling. Chinese representatives invited to the first two meetings were said to have protested against it in a “fierce discussion,” claiming the country had the means to deal with the crisis on its own.

Beijing endeavored to strike home the message that China is no longer a “Third World” country and that it has what it takes to cope with a public health emergency, said the report, citing sources familiar with the meetings. The meetings were attended by ambassadors from China, Thailand, South Korea, and Japan, the countries at that time most affected by the illness.

Such a declaration entails restrictions on travel and the transport of goods, a scenario not welcomed by China. Therefore, Beijing mobilized its allies to exert their influence in the UN body and voice their opposition to the decision, Le Monde claimed, citing various sources.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, has drawn criticism and mockery for his effusive praise of China’s efforts in containing the outbreak. In one instance, he said, “Because of this strategy and if it weren't for China, the number of cases outside the country would have been much higher,” wrote Reuters.