Space Industry and Business 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
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
DoD awards Global X-Band Blanket Purchase Agreement to SES

Ensuring reliable communications between US and Partners at the tactical edge

Luxembourg Parliament Approves MGS, Enabling NATO's Access to SES's O3b mPOWER System

Final Ariane 5 Flight Will Carry German Communications Satellite Into Space

TRADE WARS
TRADE WARS
Northrop Grumman's new airborne navigation system achieves successful flight test

Fugro and GomSpace deliver world class position and timing accuracy onboard LEO satellites

GMV to head up Galileo ground segment after securing a new contract

LEO PNT satellite signal simulator debuts at JNC 2023 conference

TRADE WARS
Israel to buy F-35 fighter jets from U.S.

Pilot killed as fighter jet crashes during Venezuela exercise

July 4th weekend celebrations to test US travel system

Chinese spy balloon did not gather data over US: Pentagon

TRADE WARS
Researchers grow precise arrays of nanoLEDs

Superconducting qubit foundry accelerates progress in quantum research

Taiwan chip giant sees no production hit from China curb on rare metals

China unveils new operating system amid US tensions

TRADE WARS
Huangshan dialogue advances sustainable development of heritage sites

Australia scraps billion-dollar satellite program

Maxar and Esri Expand Partnership to Visualize Precision3D in ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World

China-funded prototype satellites delivered to Egypt

TRADE WARS
Time to act on light pollution, say leading experts at NAM conference

'Drive-throw' recycling aims to ease Lebanon garbage crisis

For kids on summer break, Canada's wildfire smoke hits hard

Integrated space-ground supervisory system monitors pollution emissions in China

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.