BEIJING (AP) – China and 21 other Asian nations signed on Friday to a new Beijing-backed international bank for Asia that Washington opposes as an unnecessary rival to established institutions such as the World Bank.
Representatives of the 22 nations signed a memorandum of understanding at the Great Hall of the People in the heart of Beijing to establish the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
The new bank reflects both China’s desire to push investment in the region and its frustration with U.S., Japanese and European dominance of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and Asian Development Bank.
The new lender would fund the construction of roads, railways, power plants and telecommunications networks in Asia that global finance officials say are needed to keep the region’s economies humming along.
Those taking part include regional economic power such as India along with smaller but economically vibrant nations such as Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines and Mongolia. Absent are U.S. allies Japan, South Korea and Australia, whose membership was sought by China.