WASHINGTON: The World Bank announced on Monday it was ending a project to fund vocational schools in China following allegations of mistreatment of minority Muslim Uighurs. The World Bank launched another review of the program in late August after Foreign Policy magazine reported that a school that benefited from a tranche of the $50 million loan to China bought “barbed wire, gas launchers, and body armor.”The Washington-based development lender said it launched another review in the wake of the charges but “did not substantiate the allegations.” However, “In light of the risks associated with the partner schools, which are widely dispersed and difficult to monitor, the scope and footprint of the project is being reduced. “Specifically, the project component that involves the partner schools in Xinjiang is being closed,” the World Bank said in a statement.
