Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 28th, by wire
Speech at the opening ceremony of the video conference of the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
(July 28, 2020, Beijing)
Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China
Dear directors,
Heads of delegations,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen, friends:
On the occasion of the opening of the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, I, on behalf of the Chinese government and the Chinese people, and in my own name, extend my warm congratulations to the convening of this meeting! My sincere greetings to the representatives of the participating members!
At the end of 2013, on behalf of China, I proposed to establish the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to promote infrastructure construction and interconnection in Asia, deepen regional cooperation and achieve common development. On January 16, 2016, the AIIB officially opened. For more than four years, the AIIB has operated in accordance with the model and principles of multilateral development banks, adhered to international, normative, and high standards, and achieved a good start. From the initial 57 founding members to set sail together, to today's 102 members from six continents including Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America, and Oceania, gathered together. The AIIB continues to grow and expand and has provided members with nearly 20 billion USD in infrastructure investment. The AIIB has a growing circle of friends, more good partners, and higher quality of cooperation. It has demonstrated a brand-new image of a professional, efficient, and clean new type of multilateral development bank internationally.
Since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the AIIB has acted quickly and established an emergency fund to support members to respond to the epidemic and restore the economy, which fully reflects the ability of the AIIB to act. The practice of the global fight against the new crown pneumonia epidemic shows that mankind is a community of shared destiny sharing weal and woe, and only mutual support, solidarity and cooperation is the right way to overcome the crisis. To resolve the contradictions in the process of economic globalization, countries should strive to form more inclusive global governance, more effective multilateral mechanisms, and more active regional cooperation. The AIIB should become a new platform for promoting the common development of its members and building a community with a shared future for mankind. I recommend:
First, focus on common development and build the AIIB into a new type of multilateral development bank that promotes common global development. Peace and development are still the themes of our time. Infrastructure interconnection is an important material foundation for promoting the common development of all countries. The AIIB should be committed to serving the development needs of all its members and providing more high-quality, low-cost, and sustainable infrastructure investment. It should support both traditional infrastructure and new infrastructure to promote economic and social development in Asia and other regions. Provide new impetus.
Second, be brave to innovate and build the AIIB into a new development and practice platform that keeps pace with the times. Only by seeking innovation can we seek the future. The AIIB itself is a new member of the international economic governance system. It should follow the trend and change in response to the trend, innovate development concepts, business models, and institutional governance, and promote interconnection, green development, and support technology through flexible and diverse development financing products. progress.
Third, create best practices to turn the AIIB into a high-standard new type of international cooperation organization. The development of the AIIB must adhere to high standards and high quality, and organically integrate compliance with internationally accepted standards and respect for the law of universal development with the actual needs of each member's own development, and create best practices in international development cooperation.
Fourth, persist in openness and inclusiveness, and build the AIIB into a new model of international multilateral cooperation. We must adhere to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, conform to the adjustment and evolution of the world economic structure, cooperate with more development partners, provide regional and global public products, promote regional economic integration, and promote economic globalization toward a more open, inclusive and universal economy. Development in the direction of benefit, balance and win-win.
Ladies, gentlemen, friends!
China has always supported multilateralism, practiced multilateralism, and pursued common development with other countries in the world in the spirit of openness, cooperation and win-win results. China will continue to work with all members to support the AIIB, run the AIIB, and make greater contributions to the international community in responding to risks and challenges and achieving common development. I hope that the AIIB will live up to its mission, live up to the times, and live up to the public trust.
Finally, I sincerely wish this annual meeting of the board of directors a complete success!
thank you all.