Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

(Foreign Affairs in the New Era)

Updated:2020-01-19 | By:China.org.cn

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

The idea of creating a new multilateral bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), was first evoked by Xi Jinping in October 2013. After more than 800 days of combined preparatory efforts by 57 countries, the AIIB was formally established on December 25, 2015 in Beijing. The bank held its opening ceremony on January 16, 2016.

The AIIB is a regional inter-governmental development institution which focuses on supporting infrastructure development. It is the first multinational financial institution proposed by China. On December 20, 2018, the 73rd UN General Assembly granted permanent observer status to the AIIB. C?te d'Ivoire, Guinea, Tunisia, Uruguay, Benin, Djibouti and Rwanda were accepted as new members of the AIIB between April and July 2019, when its total membership thus reached 100 – second only to that of the World Bank – including most UN Security Council permanent members and G20 members and covering the areas with 78 percent of the world's population and 63 percent of global GDP.

As a multilateral development bank, the AIIB operates according to its own business standards. All participating countries of the Belt and Road Initiative can obtain loans, provided that their projects are (a) financially viable, (b) environmentally friendly, and (c) supported by local communities.

The bank is initially investing in energy and electricity, transportation, telecommunications, rural and agricultural infrastructure, water supply and sewerage, environmental protection, urban development, and logistics. By July 2019, the AIIB had approved 46 projects of loans or investment of 18 countries, reaching US$8.48 billion in total.

亚洲基础设施投资银行

2013年10月,习近平提出了筹建亚洲基础设施投资银行(简称亚投行)的倡议。2015年12月25日,在历经800余天的筹备后,由中国倡议成立、57国共同筹建的亚投行在北京成立。2016年1月16日,亚投行举行了开业仪式。亚投行是首个由中国倡议设立的政府间区域性多边金融开发机构,重点支持基础设施建设。2018年12月20日,第七十三届联合国大会全会协商一致通过决议,给予亚投行联合国大会永久观察员地位。2019年4月至7月间,亚投行理事会先后批准科特迪瓦、几内亚、突尼斯、乌拉圭、贝宁、吉布提和卢旺达为新一批成员。至此,亚投行成员总数达到100个,数量仅次于世界银行,涵盖了联合国安理会常任理事国和二十国集团中的绝大多数成员国,覆盖全球78%的人口,占全球GDP的63%。亚投行作为多边开发银行有其单独的业务标准,“一带一路”共建国家都可以获得亚投行的贷款,但必须满足三个条件:一是金融可持续发展,二是项目要环保,三是项目要受到该地区民众的欢迎。亚投行初期投资重点领域包括能源与电力、交通和电信、农村和农业基础设施、供水与污水处理、环境保护、城市发展以及物流等。截至2019年7 月,亚投行已经批准了18个国家的46个贷款或投资项目,总额达到84.8亿美元。