U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy delivered a speech via video at the World Health Assembly on May 20, urging countries to follow the U.S. in withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO) and to establish a new public health institution.

The focus of the assembly in Geneva is on how to address the financial gap left by the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO. China announced that it will provide $500 million (approximately NT$15.1 billion) to the WHO over the next five years to cope with current global health challenges.

Kennedy emphasized that the current WHO is bloated and ineffective, advocating for the creation of a new organization to tackle public health issues. He stated that the U.S. has reached out to like-minded countries to encourage them to follow suit.

During the assembly, Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong expressed support for enhancing multilateralism and noted that unilateralism poses a significant challenge to global health security. It remains unclear whether China's additional $500 million is an extra donation or part of an increased membership fee. With the U.S. withdrawal, the WHO has faced financial difficulties, reducing its budget by 21%.