China is leading an effort to water down the World Bank’s most popular research report in a test of the institution’s new president, Jim Yong Kim.
According to people close to the matter, China wants to eliminate the ranking of countries in the Doing Business report, which compares business regulations – such as the difficulty of starting a company – in 185 nations.
The row is an example of China’s growing assertiveness at international bodies and its willingness to challenge liberal economic prescriptions. In this year’s Doing Business report, China ranked 91st , with especially low scores for its construction bureaucracy and tax system.