Reports circulating online claim that China is preparing legal action against the World Health Organization before the International Criminal Court over the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, no official filing or confirmed announcement from Beijing has been made publicly available.

The claims appear to stem from ongoing international disputes surrounding the origins of COVID-19, transparency during the early outbreak in Wuhan, and the World Health Organization’s response during the first months of the pandemic.

During the pandemic, tensions grew between China and WHO investigators over access to data and laboratory inspections in Wuhan. In 2021, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for a second phase investigation into the virus origins, including audits of laboratories in Wuhan.

Chinese officials strongly rejected parts of the proposal, arguing that the investigation had become politicized. Senior health officials in Beijing described some of the WHO’s requests as “disrespectful to science” and said China would not accept a renewed investigation focused on the “lab leak” theory.

Legal experts note that any attempt to bring WHO before the ICC would face major jurisdictional obstacles. The ICC primarily prosecutes individuals for crimes such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity — not international organizations themselves. Previous COVID-related complaints submitted to the ICC against governments and organizations have not resulted in formal prosecutions.

The WHO and China have both faced criticism from various governments and independent analysts over transparency and the speed of information-sharing during the early spread of the coronavirus. WHO missions investigating the origins of SARS-CoV-2 encountered repeated delays and disputes over access to raw data from Chinese authorities.

Despite the political rhetoric surrounding the issue, there is currently no verified evidence that China has formally initiated ICC proceedings against the WHO as of May 2026.