US Withdraws UN Population Fund Cash Over China

The United States said Tuesday it will again withhold contributions to the UN Population Fund due to its work with China, which controls family size, as the agency accused Washington of jeopardising women's health.

It marked the third straight year that the United States has refused to fund the UN body as President Donald Trump's administration seeks to combat abortion, a pivotal issue for his evangelical Christian base.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo determined that "China's family planning policies still involve the use of coercive abortion and involuntary sterilisation practices," conditions that under US law require an end to funding, a State Department spokeswoman said.

She said that the UN Population Fund's public documents state that "it partners on family planning with the Chinese government agency responsible for these coercive policies".

The agency, known as UNFPA, disputed the finding, saying that it opposes coercive policies and that the United States never visited its country office in China to see for itself.

"This unfortunate decision will impede UNFPA's crucial work to protect the health and lives of hundreds of millions of women and girls around the globe, including in humanitarian settings," it said in a statement, asking the United States to reconsider. (AFP)