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Washington (AFP)

US President Donald Trump attacked the World Health Organization on Tuesday, saying it is "China centric" and issued bad advice at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic.

"The W.H.O. really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look," he tweeted.

Trump went on to ask why the WHO had given "such a faulty recommendation," apparently referring to the UN body's recommendation against curtailing international travel to stop the virus which first spread from China.

"Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on," Trump wrote, referring to his decision to ban travel from the country.

China is under fire in Washington, particularly from Republicans, over the way it handled the pandemic and Trump has expressed doubt over the accuracy of Chinese statistics for cases and deaths.

However, Trump himself has been widely criticized for initially downplaying the virus, which he likened to an ordinary flu and said was under control in the United States, before later accepting that it was a national emergency.

More than 11,000 Americans have now died from COVID-19.

© 2020 AFP