US President Donald Trump has said on Friday that he is “terminating” America’s relationship with the World Health Organisation (WHO), indicating the international body would get no more US funding. 

The US president cited the body’s ties to Beijing as he made the announcement on Friday, saying: “China has total control over the World Health Organisation.”

Mr. Trump’s decision to cut off ties with the body helping lead the worldwide response to Covid-19 while the pandemic is still happening triggered criticism from some quarters. 

The US president has blamed the WHO for failing to warn countries quickly enough about the dangers of coronavirus and not doing enough to make China be transparent about the outbreak, which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan. 

Mr. Trump had previously paused funding to the WHO, pending an investigation carried out by his administration into the body's handling of the Covid-19 crisis.

“We have detailed the reforms that it must make and engaged with them directly, but they have refused to act," Mr. Trump said from the White House’s Rose Garden. 

"Because they have failed to make the requested and greatly needed reforms, we will be today terminating the relationship."

Mr. Trump noted the US contributes about $450 million to the world body while China provides about $40 million each year. 

The US president has increasingly criticized the WHO’s Covid-19 handling, questioning why it did not insist on sending independent scientists into China when the outbreak began. 

He has also blamed China for not alerting the world quickly enough to the seriousness of the coronavirus outbreak. 

Beijing has denied the US allegations that it played down the threat when the virus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. It says Washington is trying to shirk its responsibilities to the WHO and shift blame for its own virus response.

Experts criticized the US president's announcement and have argued that it will put lives at risk.