IMF Calls on China to Expand Debt Relief to World’s Most Vulnerable Countries

A Chinese laborer works at a construction site on reclaimed land, part of a Chinese-funded project for Port City, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Feb. 24, 2020. ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images

WASHINGTON—The International Monetary Fund (IMF) urged China to expand debt relief for the world’s poorest countries that have suffered the devastating effects of the pandemic.

Global public debt is projected to hit a record high next year, reaching the size of the global economy, according to the IMF. This is partly because governments around the world had to increase spending to fight the coronavirus and recover from its economic fallout.