"To support the World Health Organization (WHO) is to support saving lives. I believe all countries with decency will choose to do so," said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the press conference on the sidelines of the Third Session of the 13th National People's Congress in Beijing on Sunday. 

The WHO, as a specialized agency of the United Nations, plays a core role in coordinating global public health efforts. The agency's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, elected with a majority of votes, has the full confidence of the international community, said Wang.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the WHO, under the leadership of Tedros, has provided timely professional advice in a scientific manner and performed its due duties well at every critical moment of time.

"What we are seeing is this: those countries that heeded and followed WHO advice are more successful in bringing the coronavirus under control, while those that ignored or rejected its advice are paying a heavy price," highlighted Wang.

He pointed out that the WHO is an international body made up of 194 sovereign states, which does not serve any particular country and should not defer to any country that provides more funding than others.

"Nothing is more precious than people's lives, nothing is more important than saving lives," Wang stressed, adding that, in the face of COVID-19, attempts to attack or blackmail the WHO are lacking in basic humanity and will be rejected by the international community. 

Wang's remarks echoed with Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at the 73rd session of the World Health Assembly (WHA). Xi reaffirmed the key role the WHO has played and the important contributions it has made in coordinating the global combat against the COVID-19 pandemic. The countries that attended the WHA all voiced their firm support of the WHO.

"Justice will prevail, and the WHO's international standing and historical evaluation will not be altered just because some countries don't like it," said Wang.