Earth Science News
TRADE WARS
AIIB says internal review found 'no evidence' of China influence
AIIB says internal review found 'no evidence' of China influence
by AFP Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) July 7, 2023

The China-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) said Friday there was "no evidence" it was dominated by Beijing's ruling Communist Party, as it released a review into explosive claims made by a former executive.

Bob Pickard, a former communications chief, resigned from the lender last month, saying it "serves China's interest" and was "a resource to the geopolitical goals" of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

China's foreign ministry denied the allegations, saying the bank operated with "openness, meritocracy and transparency".

The AIIB initially called Pickard's allegations "baseless and disappointing" but later launched an internal review of his claims.

The bank said Friday the review found "no evidence of undue or improper influence in the decisions taken by the Board of Governors, Board of Directors, and President, or in other aspects of the operation of the Bank".

The probe concluded that the AIIB "follows the highest standards of multilateral governance" with a structure that "has enabled the Bank to take independent decisions in line with operational policies".

The review did identify certain recommendations "in response to issues raised during its work", the bank said, including the need to strengthen pre-recruitment screening processes, grievance mechanisms and corporate culture.

However, there was "no evidence to support or validate (Pickard's) allegations", said Alberto Ninio, the AIIB's general counsel who led the review.

Pickard, a Canadian citizen, accused the bank of directing lending mainly towards countries targeted by Beijing's massive and controversial Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) at the CCP's behest.

He described foreign executives on the bank's board as "window dressing" and said he had left China hurriedly out of concern for his safety.

Inside the bank, "there's a parallel system, it's adjacent to the public-decision making structure", he said.

China launched the AIIB in 2016 as a counterweight to Western-dominated global financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

The project was pushed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has also thrown his weight behind the BRI, a global trade and infrastructure initiative that has drawn criticism from some Western powers for a perceived lack of transparency.

The AIIB has 106 global members, including Australia, Canada, France and Germany -- though Ottawa said it would "immediately halt all government-led activity" at the bank in the wake of Pickard's comments.

The United States is not an AIIB member.

Related Links
Global Trade News

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
TRADE WARS
Germany's 'China city' seeks new direction amid fraying ties
Duisburg, Germany (AFP) July 6, 2023
Duisburg once touted itself as Germany's "China city" due to strong links to the Asian giant, but it is now desperately seeking an image makeover as geopolitical tensions upend bilateral ties. Located in Germany's rustbelt and long in decline, Duisburg got a welcome boost in 2014 when President Xi Jinping promoted it as a key stop on China's new "Silk Road" during a visit. Huge numbers of freight trains were soon arriving from the world's second-largest economy to the biggest inland port on Eart ... read more

TRADE WARS
S. Korea says respects IAEA approval of Fukushima water release

IAEA chief meets top S. Korean diplomat amid protest

Drills, red wine: Ukrainians ready for leak at Russia-held plant

South Korea co-signs Japan's Fukushima radioactive water release plan

TRADE WARS
The chore of packing just got faster and easier

China says critical metals curbs 'not targeting' any country

NASA's laser communications relay: a year of experimentation

Changguang achieves milestone in satellite laser communications

TRADE WARS
Startup bets on kitesurf to blow away shipping pollution

Dead fish wash up on riverbank in drought-hit Iraq

Solomons PM calls for 'review' of Australia defence pact

Every 1C of warming means 15% more extreme rain, researchers say

TRADE WARS
Russia, China block move for new Antarctic marine reserves

Sustainability at centre of British polar science strategy

Antarctic ice shelves experienced only minor changes in surface melt since 1980

Himalayan glaciers melting 65 percent faster than previous decade: study

TRADE WARS
We may be underestimating the climate risk to crops: researchers

Vietnam farmers planting in the dark as heatwave looms

Brussels looks to relax curbs on genetically modified crops

China's Qu Dongyu re-elected unopposed as head of UN food agency

TRADE WARS
Peru volcano rumbles to life, spews ash on towns

Seven bodies found after family of 10 swept away in Malaysia river

Mexico's storm Beatriz dissipates in Pacific waters

One dead, one missing as Japan hit by heavy rain

TRADE WARS
AU force in Somalia completes first phase of drawdown

Pullout of UN peacekeepers from Mali leaves security void

Insurgents kill 80 troops in Burkina Faso

Drone strikes hit Wagner base in Libya: military source

TRADE WARS
Living near green space makes you 2.5 years younger: study

Beatboxing orangutans and the evolution of speech

Crowds 'stone the devil' in final hajj ritual

Humans' evolutionary relatives butchered one another 1.45 million years ago

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.