Allegations of CCP links to Chinese investment bank spur Canada to cut ties

June 15 (UPI) -- Using the term "authoritarian regimes," Canada's deputy prime minister announced on Wednesday the country is cutting ties with the Chinese-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland said the move comes after a Canadian citizen resigned from a position at the bank and later "voiced concerns."

The bank's former communications director Bob Pickard resigned earlier this week, alleging the AIIB is ostensibly "dominated" by the Communist Party of China.

"Interesting how all the Communist Party stooge accounts and fake bots here on Twitter are defending AIIB," Pickard, who immediately left the country and fled to Japan, wrote on Twitter Thursday after news came out.

"The bank's staunchest supporters on social (media) are the usual suspects supporting Communist Party propaganda. These CCP accounts are AIIB's biggest social media supporters. For obvious reasons."

The bank has denied the claims.

Pickard worked for the Beijing-based financial institution for 15 months, and called his resignation the only choice for a "patriotic Canadian."

"I don't believe that my country's interests are served by its AIIB membership," he tweeted Wednesday.

"The Government of Canada will immediately halt all government-led activity at the bank, and I have instructed the Department of Finance to lead an immediate review of the allegations raised and of Canada's involvement in the AIIB," Freeland said in a statement.

"China, as the world's second largest economy, must necessarily play a role in addressing common global challenges."

"However, as the world's democracies work to de-risk our economies by limiting our strategic vulnerabilities to authoritarian regimes, we must likewise be clear about the means through which these regimes exercise their influence around the world.

The bank reacted quickly to Freeland's comments, lambasting her use of the "authoritarian" term, without mentioning Pickard by name.

"The remarks made by the individual are outright lies with an attempt to seek sensationalization. AIIB has responded that recent public comments and characterization of the bank of that individual are baseless and disappointing," the Chinese embassy in Canada said in a statement.

"As for the alleged 'authoritarian regimes,' some countries are willfully pointing fingers at other countries and even wielding the big stick of sanctions, which are absolutely 'authoritarian' behaviors."