Beijing (dpa) – A Chinese protester who said he was an independent economist shouted his opposition to the World Bank's recommended reforms of China's state sector on Tuesday, interrupting a press conference by the bank's president. “This report from the World Bank is poison to China,” Du Jianguo shouted as Zoellick was addressing dozens of reporters and officials at the bank's Beijing office. “We don't need the privatization of banks like in the US,” Du said. “Wall Street are liars! Parasites! They destroyed the US and now they come to harm China.” Zoellick responded to the protest by saying the World Bank was “very comfortable with an open debate” on its recommendations for China's long-term development, which were published on Monday in a China 2030 report written with a Chinese government think-tank. The report said China faced a turning point for long-term economic growth and must deepen market reforms to sustain development. It said China needed a “new development strategy” to strengthen the role of the private sector, further open its markets, and reform its land, labor and financial policies. Du handed out a written statement saying he believed that privatization of state enterprises would “stop the development of the strong growth of the Chinese economy.” Privatization could also “let a small group of people strike it rich and exploit others” and cause “massive job losses,” he said. “You see this report provoked some interested debate,” Zoellick said after the protest. He said he did not expect any sudden, “big-bang reform” in China. Security staff ejected Du, but he was not detained and later gave interviews outside the building housing the World Bank office. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/jKPZ9 Tags: China, Protest, World Bank Section: Business, East Asia, Latest News
