Photo taken on June 17, 2017 shows the Second Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the AIIB held in Jeju Island, South Korea. The 18-month-old Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has won acclaim for its good work from representatives of all over the world at its Second Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors held here through Saturday. (Xinhua/Yao Qilin)
The 18-month-old Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has won acclaim for its good work from representatives of all over the world at its Second Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors held here through Saturday.
The multilateral development bank (MDB), initiated by China and supported by a wide range of countries and regions, has been playing a unique role in promoting development while showing great creativity and potential.
PROMISES DELIVERED
"In January 2016, at the Bank's inauguration, I made a pledge that we would ensure that this institution operates as a 'lean, clean and green' organization," said Jin Liqun, president of AIIB.
"Eighteen months on, I can report to you that the management and the staff have been translating these principles and aspirations into reality," he said.
To date, AIIB has approved some 2.49 billion U.S. dollars in financing for 16 infrastructure projects in nine countries. Twelve of the projects were co-financed, while four were standalone projects prepared by the bank.
Jin made particular reference to the power transmission project in Bangladesh, which will help bring affordable and reliable electricity to more than 12 million rural people while achieving energy saving equivalent to an annual reduction of 16,400 tons of CO2.
"This project demonstrates the AIIB's commitment to development, to helping the world's underprivileged and to the environment," he said.
The bank has also approved three new members - Argentina, Madagascar and Tonga during the annual meeting, bringing the total membership to 80.
"Broad support from both our regional and non-regional membership manifests a firm confidence in AIIB."
"We appreciate very much the way the bank has begun. We are pretty confident that in the future years, the bank would expand its membership and also its portfolio for the good of this region," said Philippe Baudry, director-general of the Treasury of France.
"The bank has done a lot. Given to its young age, I would give it a good score of more than 90 points out of 100," said Hamad Albazai, deputy finance minister of Saudi Arabia.
