February 3, 2016

"Editor's Note:

The founding of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has drawn global attention. Will the AIIB be dominated by Beijing? How does it compare to other peers? Global Times (GT) London-based reporter Sun Wei talked to Danny Quah (Quah), professor of Economics and International Development, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), at the annual LSE SU China Development Forum on January 30.

Danny Quah

GT: Do you agree that the AIIB is China's version of the Washington-based World Bank?

Quah: Yes and no. We should be clear this is not a Chinese bank.

When we look at the numbers, China's stake is just a little over 30 percent. But 57 countries are members. The combined vote of Western democracies alone would already overwhelm China's.

I am uneasy seeing it as China's version of the World Bank. However, it's obviously a China-driven initiative. China provides energy and puts this organization together. It is based in Beijing, and its president is Jin Liqun. There are many senses in which it is a Chinese bank. But there are also many substantial ways in which it isn't."

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http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/967207.shtml 

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