China eyes the top seat at the WHO

With the US having exited the World Health Organization under President Trump, China is seizing the moment. According to four diplomats and a source familiar with the matter, Beijing plans to put forward Song Li — a senior public health official with two decades of expertise in maternal and child health policy and international cooperation — as a late candidate for WHO Director-General, succeeding the incumbent Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The move reflects China's broader ambition to expand its footprint in UN agencies and multilateral institutions as the US scales back its global engagement. China has already pledged additional funding to the WHO, though it falls well short of replacing the financial void left by Washington's departure.

Quick Facts

• Six candidates have already gone public: representing Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Qatar, Botswana, Indonesia, and Spain
• The WHO lost its largest donor (the US) and has since cut thousands of jobs and restructured senior management
• Song Li was editor-in-chief of a 2020 COVID-19 guidance paper for women in China
• If elected, she would be the second Chinese national to lead the WHO, after Margaret Chan

Why it matters: The WHO's leadership race carries enormous stakes for global health governance. With the US out of the picture, whoever takes the helm will shape how the world responds to future pandemics, outbreaks, and health crises — making China's bid a pivotal geopolitical and public health development to watch.