Dhaka, Jan. 31 -- President Donald Trump's decisions right on taking office give an indication of the role that he will play in world affairs in the next four years. On his first day in office, he signed an executive order directing the United States to quit the World Health Organisation (WHO) because of its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic; and announced that Washington was withdrawing from the Paris climate accord for a second time, in what a news agency called "a defiant rejection of global efforts to combat planetary warming".

China responded forcefully. "China will, as always, support the WHO in fulfilling its responsibilities... and work towards building a shared community of health for humanity," a foreign ministry spokesman said...