Donald Trump calls for World Bank to halt all China lending

Donald Trump has called for the World Bank to stop lending money to China, a day after the institution adopted a lending plan to Beijing despite Washington’s objections.

The World Bank on Thursday adopted a plan to aid China with $1bn to $1.5bn in low-interest loans annually until 2025. The plan called for lending to “gradually decline” from the previous five-year average of $1.8bn.

Trump tweeted on Friday night: “Why is the World Bank loaning money to China? Can this be possible? China has plenty of money, and if they don’t, they create it. STOP!”

The president was reiterating a position long held by his administration, including David Malpass when he was a treasury department official before his election as the current head of the World Bank.