IMF and World Bank Must Stop Coddling China

When nations are teetering on the edge of fiscal collapse or trying to build the foundations of economic growth, they turn to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. These institutions were built to stabilize global finance and provide development funding not to serve as platforms for leftist pet causes.

But under years of globalist mismanagement and Democrat-led mission creep, both the IMF and World Bank have been slowly morphing into progressive advocacy tools. Fortunately, that trend is now under fire.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is demanding a return to purpose and putting China back in the crosshairs where it belongs.

Bessent, speaking just ahead of the IMF and World Bank’s annual meetings, laid out a clear directive: Cut the fluff and get back to business.

• He slammed the institutions for ballooning salaries and runaway administrative overhead, demanding financial discipline across the board.

• He condemned the shift toward issues like climate change and gender equity, which have consumed time and resources while real threats like China go unchallenged.

• He emphasized the need to "graduate" countries like China from receiving aid, redirecting World Bank assistance to truly needy and low-credit nations.

“The IMF is uniquely positioned to provide bilateral and multilateral economic surveillance that identifies imbalances and risks,” Bessent said. But rather than using that power to confront China’s manipulative policies, the IMF has been distracted by leftist social engineering.

That may now change.

This comes just as China announced sweeping export controls set to take effect November 1 that could disrupt supply chains around the world. President Trump called the move a “moral disgrace,” vowing to respond with 100% tariffs on all Chinese imports. It’s a bold position, and one that reflects the urgency of holding China accountable on the global stage.

Bessent echoed Trump’s warning, pointing directly at the IMF’s responsibility to scrutinize and expose China’s destabilizing economic behavior. Instead of focusing on fringe social issues, he wants the IMF to do its actual job: monitor financial risk, ensure balanced global trade, and discourage harmful policies.

Bessent also took aim at the World Bank’s continued support for China an economic superpower that’s still being treated like a developing country. “It’s time for China to graduate,” he said, calling for aid to be redirected to where it’s actually needed.

This marks a sharp contrast with his predecessor, Janet Yellen, who just last year bragged about directing nearly $75 billion in climate finance to low- and middle-income countries a 45% jump from 2021. Under Biden’s leadership, climate alarmism and equity agendas reigned supreme, while China laughed its way to the bank.

Let’s be clear: China isn’t just a competitor. It’s an economic adversary using every tool state subsidies, currency manipulation, intellectual property theft to tilt the global playing field. The U.S. must stop enabling it, especially through institutions funded by American taxpayers.

The United States remains the largest financial contributor to both the IMF and World Bank. That means we have the power to push these institutions back toward their core mission economic stability and development and away from being progressive playthings.

Bessent is right to bring the focus back where it belongs. Confronting China’s economic aggression is not just good policy it's necessary for protecting American workers, industries, and sovereignty.

Let’s stop funding our own decline. It’s time for a serious financial realignment.

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