Photo taken on April 17, 2020 shows the World Bank headquarters in Washington, DC, the United States.Photo:Xinhua

China's Foreign Ministry on Friday called on the World Bank to conduct a full investigation into relevant issues to protect both the credibility of its business environment report and reputation of its members, after the World Bank ended its "Doing Business" report citing "data irregularities." 

The World Bank canceled the report rating the business environment in countries, after US media reports suggested that an investigation concluded that senior bank management pressured staff to alter data affecting the ranking of China and other nations.

The media reports implicated IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, who worked at the World Bank. In response to the allegations, Georgieva said that"I disagree fundamentally with the findings and interpretations of the Investigation of Data Irregularities as it relates to my role in the World Bank's Doing Business report of 2018."

Asked about those developments at a press briefing on Friday, Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that the Chinese government attaches great importance to optimizing the business environment, and relevant achievements are obvious to all.

Zhao said that it is hoped that the World Bank will conduct a comprehensive investigation into relevant issues based on facts and rules, under the principles of professionalism, objectivity, just and thoroughness and in strict accordance to its internal procedures to better protect the professionalism and credibility of its business environment report and the reputation of its members.

Global Times