(Updates to add comment from a spokesperson for China's embassy in the U.S. in the last paragraph)
The World Bank plans to gradually end new lending to China by 2031, limiting financing at $2 billion through that date, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the plan.
While no formal vote is mandated, the World Bank's board plans to review the initiative during the seven-day period beginning July 20, according to the report.
This decision, part of a new five-year partnership framework, reflects China's transformation into the world's second-largest economy, Reuters wrote. Annual lending to China has already fallen to $750 million in 2025 from $2.4 billion in 2017.
A World Bank official said China's development in recent decades is "significant," and the institution is now transitioning to a renewed relationship recognizing this evolved reality, according to the report.
A spokesperson for China's embassy in the U.S., in an emailed response to' request for comment, said that "the scale of World Bank lending to China has gradually declined in recent years," which resulted from the changes in domestic demand and cooperation between China and the World Bank.
As it looks ahead, "China will continue to strengthen cooperation with the World Bank in addressing global challenges," according to the spokesperson.
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