MUMBAI, June 15 (Reuters Breakingviews) - China’s “World Bank” tried in vain to carefully thread the geopolitical needle. Fairly or not, critics have lambasted China’s lending practices along the BRI as “debt trap diplomacy”. Whereas the smaller AIIB did things more the way developed countries wanted, even taking positions at odds with Beijing’s. Pickard alleged on Twitter that AIIB was an instrument of China, dominated by Communist party members who “operate like a secret police”. The AIIB said the comments by Pickard, who had served in his role since March 2022, were “baseless and disappointing”.

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Persons: Bank ”, Bob Pickard, Jin Liqun, Pickard, AIIB, Chrystia Freeland, Pete Sweeney, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Bank, Infrastructure Investment Bank, Twitter, Communist Party, World Bank, Initiative, Beijing, International Monetary Fund, New Development Bank, Canadian, Communist, Department of Finance, Finance, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, Canada, Beijing, India, France, Asia, Africa, Latin America, Argentina, Pakistan, Russia, Ukraine, China, Ottawa, Shanghai, Saudi Arabia