US Edition 
US isolated as Australia and Russia join China's development bank
Countries add to list of names signing up after Washington rebuked UK earlier this month
America's opposition to China’s development bank appeared increasingly isolated on Sunday after Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands and Russia all said they plan to join.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a rival to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, institutions founded with American help, has now signed up many of America’s Western allies.
The UK angered Washington when it became the first major western country to join the Chinese-led bank, but a string of nations have since put their name to the $50bn organisation.
On Sunday, Australian prime minister Tony Abbott said the country, a key US ally, is signing a memorandum of understanding to join the AIIB to “allow Australia to participate as a prospective founding member”.
Meanwhile, China’s ministry of finance said Denmark had written to “announce its intention to apply to be a founding member”. It follows Russia and Netherlands saying on Saturday that they plan to join, while Brazil, South Korea, France, Germany and Italy have all expressed their interest.
The US, which fears China’s growing influence on the international stage via the AIIB, issued a rare public rebuke when the UK said it planned to join the AIIB.
“Based on many discussions, we have concerns about whether the AIIB will meet these high standards, particularly related to governance, and environmental and social safeguards,” US National Security Council spokesman Patrick Ventrell said earlier this month.