"China's President Xi Jinping reportedly pressured the director of the World Health Organization in January to hold off issuing a global warning about the coronavirus outbreak.
German media outlet Der Spiegel, citing intelligence from the country's intelligence service, Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), reported the pressure came in a Jan. 21 call to WHO leader Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The BND estimated China's action to conceal information resulted in a loss of four to six weeks in the fight against COVID-19.
...
President Donald Trump has condemned China for holding back critical information about the virus to the world, including failing to accurately report on the number of cases - and called WHO a 'pipe organ' for China's communist party last month."