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.

WASHINGTON, September 16, 2021—The World Bank Group today issued the following statement on the Doing Business report:

“Trust in the research of the World Bank Group is vital. World Bank Group research informs the actions of policymakers, helps countries make better-informed decisions, and allows stakeholders to measure economic and social improvements more accurately. Such research has also been a valuable tool for the private sector, civil society, academia, journalists, and others, broadening understanding of global issues.

After data irregularities on Doing Business 2018 and 2020 were reported internally in June 2020, World Bank managementpausedthe next Doing Business report andinitiateda series ofreviewsandauditsof the report and its methodology. In addition, because the internal reports raised ethical matters, including the conduct of former Board officials as well as current and/or former Bank staff, management reported the allegations to the Bank’s appropriate internal accountability mechanisms.

After reviewing all the information available to date on Doing Business, including the findings of past reviews, audits, and thereportthe Bank released today on behalf of the Board of Executive Directors, World Bank Group management has taken the decision to discontinue the Doing Business report. The World Bank Group remains firmly committed to advancing the role of the private sector in development and providing support to governments to design the regulatory environment that supports this. Going forward, we will be working on a new approach to assessing the business and investment climate. We are deeply grateful to the efforts of the many staff members who have worked diligently to advance the business climate agenda, and we look forward to harnessing their energies and abilities in new ways.”