What does China want from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank?

By Dr Jeffrey Wilson 

The establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in 2016 was a landmark development in Asian economic regionalism and is the world’s first multilateral development bank dedicated to infrastructure, and the first international organisation created by China. It has also proved very controversial with many critics alleging that it is a vehicle for Chinese geostrategic agendas, may dilute good governance initiatives, and compete with other multilateral development banks within the region. However, despite the controversy surrounding the establishment of the AIIB, there is little evidence to suggest that AIIB loans are being used to advance Chinese strategic agendas.

This publication was prepared by Dr Jeffrey Wilson, Research Fellow at the Perth USAsia Centre.