On October 6th, local time, the British newspaper Reuters reported exclusively from four diplomats and one source familiar with the matter that China plans to nominate senior public health official Song Li for the position of Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). She will replace the current Director-General, Tedros, who will step down next year. If elected, she would become the second Chinese to head the WHO, following Chen Fengzhang.
As of now, China has not officially announced this nomination. Reuters reported that neither Song Li herself nor the Chinese permanent mission in Geneva immediately responded to requests for comment.
Public information shows that Song Li has been engaged in maternal and child health work for a long time, with over 20 years of experience in maternal and child health policies and international cooperation. According to the World Health Organization's official website, she was previously the deputy director of the Maternal and Child Health Department of the National Health Commission of China, and participated in several expert mechanisms related to maternal and child health within the WHO. She also served as the director of the Maternal and Child Health Department of the National Health Commission. Currently, she is the secretary of the Party Committee of the All-China Women's Federation.
Song Li Introduction on WHO website
Song Li also has extensive experience in international health cooperation. The United Nations Children's Fund had previously reported that when China carried out South-South cooperation on maternal and child health with African countries, Song Li represented the Chinese National Health Commission in relevant work and shared China's experiences in reducing maternal, neonatal, and child mortality rates.
Reuters also reported that after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Song Li was the main person responsible for drafting a guidance document on COVID-19 prevention and control, as well as maternal and child health management, targeting Chinese women.
However, there is an even larger background behind the significant attention paid to this WHO “replacement of leaders”: the United States has already withdrawn from the WHO.
The Trump administration has long criticized the World Health Organization’s performance during the COVID-19 pandemic, and accused the organization of showing bias towards China. The WHO has denied these accusations. With the United States, the largest contributor to the organization, withdrawing its funding, the WHO is facing severe financial pressure and has been forced to undergo a major restructuring, including streamlining operations, reducing senior management positions, and laying off thousands of jobs.
Meanwhile, China has chosen to continue supporting the World Health Organization and announced an increase in financial investment. This is why Song Li's potential candidacy takes on even more significance. A diplomatic source told Reuters that this plan indicates that China intends to fill the void created by the withdrawal of the United States.
The competition for the next Director-General of the World Health Organization has already begun. The WHO expects to announce the full list of candidates after the last regional committee meetings in early November. Six candidates from Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Qatar, Botswana, Indonesia, and Spain have already made their identities public.
If China ultimately nominates Song Li, it means that there will be a Chinese candidate in the competition for the position of WHO Director-General. This will also place this election, which is originally centered around global public health governance, under the context of international changes where the United States is leaving and China continues to participate in multilateral mechanisms.
For China, this will also be the opportunity to once again challenge the position of Director-General of the World Health Organization after many years. In 2006, Chen Fung Fudeen, a health official from Hong Kong, China, was elected as the Director-General of the World Health Organization and served in that position from 2007 to 2017. If Song Li wins, she will become the second Chinese person to serve as the Director-General of the World Health Organization.
