The Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is facing allegations of political interference, but what does its record show?
Jin Liqun, President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, January 24, 2018. Credit: WEF via Flickr
China’s answer to the World Bank is facing a major reputational test after the very public departure of a top executive last week. Canadian Bob Pickard quit his role as global director of communications at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank with a Twitter broadside accusing his former employer of being dominated by Chinese Communist Party officials — allegations the AIIB has rejected as “baseless and disappointing.”
Despite the firm denial, Pickard’s allegations go to the heart of questions the AIIB has faced since its inception in 2016. The bank promotes itself in its mission statement as a multilateral development bank (MDB) that is independent from member state governments — including China’s — operating with transparent management practices. While some Western countries have signed up to the AIIB, the U.S. has long been skeptical of its ties to Beijing.
This week, The Wire looks at the track record of the AIIB since its founding, and examines its cl
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