The World Bank appears to be violating its own anti-discrimination policies by requiring job applicants from Taiwan to acquire Chinese passports in order to work for the international financial institution, according to a letter from Republican and Democratic lawmakers in both houses of Congress

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th January, 2020) The World Bank appears to be violating its own anti-discrimination policies by requiring job applicants from Taiwan to acquire Chinese passports in order to work for the international financial institution, according to a letter from Republican and Democratic lawmakers in both houses of Congress.

"While we understand that the World Bank Group (WBG) and other international financial institutions maintain a hiring preference for applicants from member states, we are concerned that formalizing this preference as a condition of employment, or applying it differently toward certain nationals, would constitute discrimination based on nationality," the letter to World Bank President David Malpass said on Friday.

The letter was signed by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, a Democrat, and the Committee's ranking Republican, Michael McCaul, as well as Democratic Senator Robert Menendez and Republican Senator Jim Risch.

The letter also said the World Bank's China passport policy may be inconsistent with the organization's code of conduct.

China considers Taiwan to be an inseparable part of the mainland and objects to the island's participation in most international organizations, such as the United Nations and the World Bank Group.

The lawmakers wrote that discrimination against Taiwanese job applicants and employees would violate the World Bank's longstanding tradition of seeking the best talent wherever it can be found, including hiring stateless persons and refugees.