China Confirms Plan to Nominate Song Li for WHO Top Job

By Yankuba Jallow

China has confirmed plans to nominate public health official Song Li as a candidate for the top position at the World Health Organisation (WHO), saying the move reflects its support for multilateralism and global health cooperation.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China believed Song’s election would help the WHO play a greater role in improving health and wellbeing around the world.

“China’s decision to nominate Doctor Song Li as candidate for the WHO Director-General reflects China’s aspiration to work with all parties for a global community of health for all, and demonstrates China’s firm support for multilateralism and the WHO,” Mao said.

“We believe that if Doctor Song Li is elected, it will help the WHO play a more positive role in promoting the health and wellbeing of all humanity.”

Mao was responding to a Reuters question about reports that China planned to nominate Song for the position and whether the United States’ withdrawal from United Nations agencies, including the WHO, presented an opportunity for Beijing to expand its influence. She said the WHO, as the United Nations’ specialised agency for health, played a leading role in coordinating global public health.

“At present, multilateralism is facing severe challenges, and the development of global public health remains a long-term and arduous task,” Mao said.

She added that the WHO director-general had a crucial role in ensuring the organisation’s “steady and sustained progress” amid changing international circumstances. China has also announced an official visit by Togo’s President of the Council of Ministers, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, from 9 to 16 October. The visit, at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, is expected to include meetings with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li and Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress.

Gnassingbé will also visit Shaanxi, Fujian and Guangdong provinces. Mao described the Togolese leader as “an old friend of China” and said it would be his seventh official visit to China since becoming president of Togo.

“The visit fully reflects the high importance Togo attaches to our relations,” she said.

China and Togo are comprehensive strategic partners, Mao said, adding that their diplomatic relations had lasted 54 years.

“Since our diplomatic relations were established 54 years ago, our traditional friendship has been growing stronger with time,” she said.

She said the two countries supported each other on matters concerning their core interests and major concerns, with cooperation across different fields.

She added that the relationship provided “a stellar example of equal treatment between big and small countries and solidarity and cooperation in the Global South”.

Mao said China expected the visit to strengthen bilateral relations and contribute to building “an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era”.

China has said it will use a visit by Nikolai Patrushev, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin and chairman of Russia’s Maritime Board, to strengthen strategic communication and cooperation with Moscow. Mao said the visit was Patrushev’s first to China in his capacity as chairman of the Maritime Board.

Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, and other Chinese officials were expected to meet Patrushev to discuss bilateral relations and maritime cooperation.

“Under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin, recent years have seen deepened political mutual trust, closer strategic coordination and continuously expanding cooperation that is mutually beneficial between China and Russia,” Mao said.

She added that the two countries had set an example of a new type of international relations between neighbouring major powers.

“China is ready to take this visit as an opportunity to work with Russia to deepen strategic communication, promote practical cooperation, and keep injecting new momentum of development into China-Russia relations in the new era,” she said.

Mao said the United Nations Human Rights Council had adopted a China-proposed resolution on accessibility for people seeking to enjoy their human rights fully. The resolution, titled “Promoting accessibility for the full enjoyment of all human rights by all”, was adopted by consensus in Geneva on 5 October. China presented it on behalf of 53 countries. Mao said creating an accessible environment was important for people with disabilities and older people, as well as for ensuring that everyone could participate equally in social life.

“Building a barrier-free environment is consistent with the vision of ensuring support for persons with disabilities and the elderly, and provides important safeguards for enabling all groups to participate equally and conveniently in social life and fully enjoy all human rights,” she said.

She said several countries had commended China’s efforts to promote “accessibility for all”.

Mao added that the call for greater technical assistance to developing countries and increased international cooperation addressed the pressing needs of those countries. She said the Human Rights Council had adopted an earlier resolution with the same title in 2024, describing it as the first resolution specifically focused on accessibility.

Mao said the latest resolution was significant for international efforts to protect human rights, respond to ageing populations and use artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to improve access to information.

“China will follow the guidance of the four global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping, and deepen its cooperation with various parties to earnestly implement the vision of ‘accessibility for all’,” she said.

She added that China would work to improve global human rights governance and promote progress in international human rights efforts. China and France are preparing for a new round of strategic dialogue during a visit to China by Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron. Bonne is due to be in China from 9 to 13 October. He is expected to meet Wang Yi for discussions on bilateral cooperation and international and regional issues of mutual interest. Mao said the talks would focus on strengthening cooperation between the two countries across different areas.

“During the French President’s Diplomatic Adviser Emmanuel Bonne’s visit to China, he and Director Wang Yi will hold a new round of China-France Strategic Dialogue to have strategic communication on deepening China-France cooperation in different areas and in-depth exchange of views on international and regional issues of mutual interest,” she said.

Mao recalled Macron’s fourth state visit to China in December last year, during which the two presidents held what she described as long and in-depth talks. She said they reached important common understandings on strengthening strategic communication, remaining committed to openness and cooperation, and jointly supporting multilateralism. China expected the new dialogue to strengthen coordination with France on bilateral and multilateral matters and promote stable relations between China and France, as well as China and Europe, Mao said. China has urged Japan to hold a former Japanese Self-Defense Forces officer accountable after he allegedly entered the Chinese embassy in Tokyo carrying a knife and threatened Chinese diplomatic personnel. The Tokyo District Court held the first public trial of Kodai Murata on 1 October. According to the question put to the Chinese foreign ministry, Murata admitted entering the embassy with a knife but denied the charge of criminal intimidation. Mao condemned the incident and called on Japan to deal with the case in accordance with the law.

“It is shockingly malignant for a sitting Japanese SDF officer to break into the Chinese embassy carrying a knife and threaten Chinese diplomatic personnel with violence,” she said.

She said the incident violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and threatened the safety of Chinese diplomatic personnel and premises. Mao also said it exposed what she described as deeper problems in Japan, including the spread of right-wing influence and a lack of supervision and discipline in the Self-Defense Forces.

“Whether Japan can deal with the matter seriously in accordance with the law will test the Japanese government’s ability to fulfil its obligations under international law and affect Japan’s credibility and reputation in the world,” she said.

“We once again urge Japan to bring the perpetrator to account and prevent similar incidents from happening again.”

Asked about Japan’s request that China show appropriate respect to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, after Chinese officials referred to her by name without a title during press briefings, Mao said China had repeatedly made its position on current China-Japan relations clear.

She did not provide further details. China has rejected what it described as politically motivated disinformation after being asked about alleged cyberattacks on South Korean financial institutions. Reuters referred to a report by cybersecurity company CrowdStrike which said an unidentified actor behind alleged attacks had used a Chinese-developed artificial intelligence penetration-testing tool and Chinese-language prompts. The report also cited material suggesting possible links to China, including references to Guangdong province and a Chinese university.Mao said she was not familiar with the case but insisted that China opposed hacking.

“China opposes hacking activities and fights these activities in accordance with the law,” she said.

“That said, we reject spreading disinformation out of a political agenda.”

She said artificial intelligence had a significant impact on cybersecurity and called for greater international cooperation.

“The international community needs to step up cooperation and dialogue and set up new international rules to jointly safeguard cybersecurity,” Mao said.

Asked when the first meeting of a planned China-US artificial intelligence dialogue would take place and which business executives would attend, Mao referred the question to the relevant authorities. She also declined to comment on a US State Department accusation that Zhao Fugang, director of an overseas Chinese service centre in Fiji, had paid bribes to local officials to advance China’s interests. The United States had barred Zhao from entering the country over what it described as “significant corruption”.

“I’m not familiar with that. We oppose vilification and smears against China,” Mao said.

China has called on European countries to resolve economic and trade disputes through dialogue, as European officials seek stronger protections in trade relations with Beijing. The comments came as the European Commissioner for Trade began two days of talks in Beijing aimed at avoiding an escalation in trade tensions. Asked what China expected from the discussions, Mao referred specific questions to the relevant Chinese authorities.

“China always believes that it serves the shared interests of China and the EU to stay committed to openness and cooperation, and resolve economic and trade disputes through equal-footed dialogue and consultation,” she said.

Responding to a separate question about European governments seeking stronger trade protections, Mao said Beijing wanted both sides to address their concerns through consultation.

“We hope Europe will work with China in the same direction, resolve respective concerns through dialogue and consultation, and promote the sound and steady development of China-Europe economic and trade relations,” she said.

“We believe this serves the common interests of both sides.”

Mao also said China had no information to share about reports that Germany’s president planned to visit China.

Asked whether the Chinese and US presidents had discussed Japan during their meeting, including reports that US President Donald Trump had asked Beijing to engage in dialogue with Japan’s prime minister and lift export controls against Japan, Mao referred journalists to the published readouts of the meeting. She did not provide further details.