U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday the U.S. will terminate its relationship with the World Health Organization over its handling of the coronavirus outbreak in China and will begin the process of withdrawing special trade benefits for Hong Kong because of the Chinese government's imposition of a new security law in the semi-autonomous city.
The two measures, combined with the cancellation of visas for some Chinese citizens, come as a rift between the two countries widens.
Trump, who has complained for weeks about the World Trade Organization as the virus death toll surged in the United States, said the global health body failed to adequately respond to the outbreak because China has "total control" over the global organization.