Email to Occasional Reader (OR) re discussion on China’s financial contributions to the World Health Organisation. Based on figures on the official WHO website.
Wheeeere’s China?!
China is 17th in the list of contributors. All its contributions are “Assessed contributions”. China makes Zero “Voluntary contributions”.
Overall 0.6% of the WHO budget is from Chinese contributions.
For comparisons:
- Australia contributes almost as much as China in absolute terms, 50 times more in per capita terms and 10 times more adjusted for GDP/capita. In addition we make Voluntary contributions.
- US contributes 10 times more than China in absolute terms, 45 times more per capita and 8 times more adjusted for GDP/capita. The US contribution doesn’t include the Gates Foundation which is almost as much again. Or the UN contributions of which the US is the majority funder.
- UK contributes 5 times more than China in absolute terms, 115 times more per capita, 28 times as much adjusted for GDP/capita.
- All other countries in the top 20 pay more than China in both per capita terms and adjusted for GDP per capita. Most make additional Voluntary contributions.
On the one hand, this cuts against those who say the WHO is in the pay of China. On the other, it makes a pretty strong case that China pays less than it should.
