BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th April, 2020) A video conference of G20 leaders planned for Friday was called off last minute due to ongoing disagreements between the United States and China over the World Health Organization's (WHO) handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post newspaper reported, citing a source, on Saturday.
Earlier in April, US President Donald Trump announced the US would suspend funding for the WHO, accusing the organization of botching the outbreak response. Shortly thereafter, China said it would boost its WHO support by $30 million.
According to South China Morning Post, the G20 meeting was not publicly announced and was set to be attended by Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, but fell through because of US insistence on holding WHO accountable for supposedly mishandling the outbreak response with China categorically refusing any such propositions.
"As such, the conference was called off at the last minute," the source involved in preparing the videoconference, who asked their name not to be revealed, told the outlet.
The source added that the conference could soon be held if the two heavyweights found a compromise on the wording of a G20 communique to be shared after talks.
Saudi Arabia, which currently presides over G20, initiated the first extraordinary videoconference on tackling the coronavirus pandemic on March 26. It was attended by all heads of states and government of G20 and various other conferences involving top G20 economists and energy officials to coordinate responses to the pandemic and the economic fallout.
