China has nominated health official Song Li as its candidate for director-general of the World Health Organization, the foreign ministry said on Thursday, confirming an earlier Reuters report. She would succeed the incumbent, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that if elected, Song Li would help the WHO "play a more active role in improving the health and wellbeing of all mankind," according to Reuters. Mao added that the nomination demonstrates China's "firm support for multilateralism."
Song Li has two decades of experience in maternal and child health policy and international cooperation, her official biography says. She took part in national responses to SARS, bird flu and COVID-19, and served as editor-in-chief of a 2020 COVID-19 question-and-answer paper that set national standards for maternal and child health care during the pandemic.
The nomination comes as Beijing seeks greater responsibility inside United Nations bodies, Reuters reported, at a time when Washington is winding down its UN engagement. The United States quit the WHO after President Trump's return to office in January 2025, and the Trump administration has accused the agency of bias toward China over its handling of COVID-19 — accusations the WHO rejects.
Six other candidates — from Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Qatar, Botswana, Indonesia and Spain — have already made their identities public on the WHO website, Reuters said. The organisation is expected to release the complete nominee list after final regional committee meetings, expected in early November.
Sources:
- Reuters: China has nominated health official Song Li as WHO head
- Straits Times: China nominates health official Song Li as WHO head
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that if elected, Song Li would help the WHO "play a more active role in improving the health and wellbeing of all mankind," according to Reuters. Mao added that the nomination demonstrates China's "firm support for multilateralism."
Song Li has two decades of experience in maternal and child health policy and international cooperation, her official biography says. She took part in national responses to SARS, bird flu and COVID-19, and served as editor-in-chief of a 2020 COVID-19 question-and-answer paper that set national standards for maternal and child health care during the pandemic.
The nomination comes as Beijing seeks greater responsibility inside United Nations bodies, Reuters reported, at a time when Washington is winding down its UN engagement. The United States quit the WHO after President Trump's return to office in January 2025, and the Trump administration has accused the agency of bias toward China over its handling of COVID-19 — accusations the WHO rejects.
Six other candidates — from Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Qatar, Botswana, Indonesia and Spain — have already made their identities public on the WHO website, Reuters said. The organisation is expected to release the complete nominee list after final regional committee meetings, expected in early November.
Sources:
- Reuters: China has nominated health official Song Li as WHO head
- Straits Times: China nominates health official Song Li as WHO head
