China has nominated senior health official Song Li to become the next Director-General of the World Health Organization, entering a closely watched leadership race after the United States withdrew from the global health agency.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced the nomination on Thursday, saying it demonstrated Beijing’s support for multilateralism and would help the WHO play a more active role in improving global health.
Song is Director-General of the Department of Maternal and Child Health at China’s National Health Commission and has more than two decades of experience in women’s and children’s health policy.
Her professional record includes work on maternal and child health programmes, reproductive health and pandemic preparedness.
Her nomination comes after the September 24 deadline for member states to submit candidates. The WHO is expected to publish the formal list of candidates from October 29, following the conclusion of regional committee meetings.
The six candidates already identified by the WHO include Qatar’s Hanan Mohammed Al-Kuwari, Saudi Arabia’s Hanan Balkhy, Belgium’s Hans Henri P. Kluge, Spain’s María P. Neira, Indonesia’s Budi Gunadi Sadikin and Botswana’s Gevorg Tamamyan.
Song’s entry expands the publicly identified field to seven prospective candidates.
The next director-general will succeed Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, whose second five-year term ends on August 15, 2027. Under WHO rules, the director-general can be reappointed only once, making Tedros ineligible for another term.
The election process will see the WHO Executive Board shortlist and nominate up to three candidates in January 2027. The final appointment will be made by the World Health Assembly in May 2027.
China’s move comes against the backdrop of a major shift in the WHO’s relationship with Washington.
The United States formally withdrew from the organisation on January 22, 2026, following President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out.
Trump has repeatedly criticised the WHO, particularly over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, while his administration has accused the organisation of failing to adequately protect US interests.
The WHO has rejected those criticisms and said the US withdrawal could weaken global health cooperation.
China’s nomination could therefore have wider geopolitical implications for the organisation, particularly as Beijing seeks to maintain an active role in multilateral institutions.
If elected, Song would become the second Chinese national to lead the WHO. Margaret Chan, who served as director-general from 2007 to 2017, was the first.
Song also has experience working with the WHO system, having participated in advisory and technical groups dealing with maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health.
The contest is expected to address the future direction of the WHO, including pandemic preparedness, financing, global health standards and cooperation among member states.
With the United States outside the organisation and candidates emerging from several regions, the 2027 leadership contest is set to be closely watched as member states debate the future direction of global health governance.
