China needs to do more on ‘silent crisis’ of debt, says World Bank official

Beijing must be more ready to support countries facing distress, says deputy chief economist

China holds the key to speeding up debt relief and ending the silent crisis" that is holding back attempts to tackle poverty in the world's poorest countries, a senior World Bank official has said.

Ayhan Kose, the Bank's deputy chief economist, said Beijing needed to be more active in negotiations to provide financial support for those countries already in, or close to, debt distress.