Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Politics
China’s ‘new multilateralism’: A rival to the US-led order?
China is asserting itself in global governance through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and alternative multilateral initiatives, combining consultation, soft laws and high standards to challenge the US-led order, says Chinese academic Gu Bin.
Gu Bin
12 Feb 2026
Economy
Funding wars between China and the West: The politics of bankrolling developing countries
While several alternatives to China's Belt and Road Initiative have sprung up, such as the G7's Build Back Better World and the EU's Global Gateway, developing countries are not exactly facing a buffet spread of options, as each avenue comes with strings attached. Only time will tell if China will turn out to be a more benevolent lender and if the new Cold War will bring better spoils for developing countries.
Loro Horta
22 Feb 2022
Politics
Overcoming power imbalances and policy clashes: The quest for a peaceful China-India future
Mind games among the US, China, Russia and India may influence Sino-Indian engagement in the new year and beyond. China could move even closer to Russia in dealing with India, and the US could further call on India as a "major defence partner" in its intense competition with China. External factors aside, a peaceful and cooperative China-India future requires synchronised political will in their bilateral and global diplomacy. Key is unequal power and core interests as China and India each employ the diplomacy of smart power. Will an uneasy status quo be maintained in their long-unresolved boundary dispute, and will they find the impetus for collaboration in a post-Covid-19 order?
P. S. Suryanarayana
20 Dec 2021
Economy
AIIB, ADB or World Bank: Which is the bigger lender to Southeast Asian countries?
In the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, various countries have extended support to nations in need, including those in Southeast Asia. There has been talk about possible shifts in the international balance of power. In terms of funding provisions to Southeast Asian countries at least, the pandemic does not seem to have made big dents to long-established patterns. The more established multilateral development banks - the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank - are still ahead of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, but this could change in the near future with the latter stepping up its efforts in the region.
Malcolm Cook
22 May 2020