During his meeting with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) on Monday, Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee,  said that China remains committed to advancing the Healthy China initiative and firmly supports the WHO's leadership and coordinating role in global health governance, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

Liu expressed China's willingness to continue supporting the WHO and called on the organization to uphold an impartial stance and safeguard the scientific rigor and seriousness of COVID-19 origin-tracing research, Xinhua reported. China stands ready to work with the WHO to promote the building of a global community of health for all, Liu said, per Xinhua. 

Tedros welcomed Liu's attendance at the WHA and expressed his gratitude for China's strong support for the WHO and global health cause, saying that the WHO is willing to deepen cooperation with China in relevant areas, Xinhua said. 

China's State Council Information Office issued a white paper on April 30 titled "COVID-19 Prevention, Control and Origins Tracing: China's Actions and Stance."

The Chinese government is releasing this white paper to present a systematic overview of China's key achievements in tracing the origins of SARS-CoV-2, to attest to its contribution to international cooperation in the response to the global pandemic, to advance scientific endeavors and foster global collaboration in this critical domain, and to expose the mismanaged pandemic response in the US, the white paper said. 

The Chinese Foreign Ministry slammed on April 23 the US smearing China by rehashing the "lab leak" theory on its website. 

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that rehashing the "lab leak" theory on the relevant website and smearing China with unsubstantiated accusations is just another ploy the US is using for political manipulation under the pretext of COVID origins-tracing. China firmly opposes it.

China's consistent position toward the WHO is, without doubt, aligned with the vision of building a "global community of health for all," Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

In contrast, the US statements and positions tend to reflect a politicized approach, viewing global health issues through the lens of great-power competition, Li said, noting that its attitude toward the WHO is one of selective engagement, and it is a clear example of political maneuvering.

US President Donald Trump ordered in January that the US will leave the WHO, saying the global health agency had mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic and other international health crises, according to a Reuters report. 

The US side said the WHO had failed to act independently from the "inappropriate political influence of WHO member states" and required "unfairly onerous payments" from the US that were disproportionate to the sums provided by other, larger countries, such as China, Reuters said. 

In terms of financial support for the WHO, China has demonstrated the responsibility of a major country and set an example of matching words with actions. In contrast, the US has clearly fallen short, offering empty rhetoric without substantial actions, Li said.  

The WHA, the highest decision-making body of the WHO, decided on Monday not to include in its agenda a proposal on Taiwan's participation as an observer, according to the Xinhua News Agency. Following the decision, a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry released a statement on Monday, saying that this marks the ninth consecutive year that the WHA has rejected such Taiwan-related proposals.