The united States President Donald Trump has formally announced that the US will be cutting its relationship with the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Trump made this know while briefing people at the Rose Garden at the White House, the US president said he wanted to redirect funds to other organisations in an anti-China address over the coronavirus pandemic.

He accused the WHO of failing to adequately respond to COVID-19 because China has "total control" over the global organisation.

He said Chinese officials "ignored" their reporting obligations to the WHO and pressured the group to mislead the world when the virus was first discovered.

It comes after weeks of criticism of the WHO by Mr Trump who has accused the organisation of not acting fast enough on the coronavirus outbreak.

The US is the biggest single contributor to the WHO, paying in around $450m (£360m) a year, with Mr Trump saying that China only contributed around $40m (£32m).

His move to cut ties with the organisation is expected to significantly weaken it while in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his address, Mr Trump again blamed China for the COVID-19 outbreak, calling it the "Wuhan virus", and said the country is responsible for more than 100,000 US deaths.

He also criticised China over its stance on Hong Kong, saying the city is no longer sufficiently autonomous to warrant special treatment from the US.

He said he will revise US travel advice to the region, warning of increased risk of surveillance.

The US will also take steps to sanction officials from Hong Kong who have been involved in "eroding" the autonomy of the region.