The White House accused the UK on Thursday of a “constant accommodation” of China after the British government decided to join a new China-led financial institutionthat could become a rival to the World Bank.
The rare rebuke of one of the US’s closest allies comes as Britain prepares to announce it will become a founding member of the $50bn Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, making it the first G7 country to join an institution launched by China last October.
The reprimand is a rare breach in the “special relationship” that has been a backbone of western policy for decades. It also underlines US concerns over China’s efforts to establish a new generation of international development banks that could challenge Washington-based global institutions. The US has been lobbying other allies not to join the AIIB.