President Donald Trump said on Friday the US will terminate its relationship with the World Health Organisation over its handling of the Coronavirus outbreak in China and will begin the process of withdrawing special trade benefits for Hong Kong because of the Chinese government's imposition of a new security law in the semi-autonomous city.

Trump, who has complained for weeks about the WHO as the virus death toll surged in the United States, said the global health body failed to adequately respond to the outbreak because China has "total control" over the global organisation. "We have detailed the reforms that it must make and engaged with them directly, but they have refused to act," the American president said from the White House. "Because they have failed to make the requested and greatly needed reforms, we will be today terminating the relationship."