On CNA938 Rewind, Professor Johan Sulaeman, Director of the Sustainable and Green Finance Institute at NUS, discussed the World Bank’s decision to phase out lending to China by 2031. He observed that the decision is partly technical but also symbolic, as China is now treated as a facilitator and supporter of the Bank. The phase-out reflects a reprioritisation of lending towards the poorest economies, yet this does not mean retreating from climate adaptation: physical climate risks continue to rise and fall disproportionately on poorer countries, so development finance and climate resilience remain deeply connected.
