Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning confirmed that China will nominate senior public health official Song Li for director-general of the World Health Organization.
China will nominate senior public health official Song Li as its candidate for director-general of the World Health Organization, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Thursday. She confirmed the plan at the regular press conference after Reuters asked about it.
Mao said the nomination reflects China's wish to work with other parties on a global community of health for all, and its support for multilateralism and the WHO. She did not give a campaign timetable.
The same briefing said Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe will visit China from 9 to 16 October at the invitation of Premier Li Qiang, and that French presidential diplomatic adviser Emmanuel Bonne will be in China from 9 to 13 October. Those visits are separate from the WHO nomination.
The confirmation is an official statement of intent to nominate. It is not an election result. The ministry did not publish Song's biography in the transcript.
Reuters had reported, citing sources, that the nomination was planned. Mao's answer is the on-the-record confirmation.
People Sentiments Neutral
- Mao Ning said the nomination shows support for multilateralism and the World Health Organization.