Your Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar,
Distinguished Governors,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to thank Your Excellency for joining us today for this important occasion. We are honored by your presence and grateful for your gracious hospitality and your strong support for AIIB.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a privilege to welcome you to the 11th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
I also thank His Excellency Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, AIIB Governor and Minister of Finance of Qatar, for his leadership as Chair of our Board of Governors this year. Qatar has brought us together to focus on development – a fundamental priority for people everywhere – despite geopolitical uncertainty.
This is my first Annual Meeting as President of AIIB, and I remain deeply honored by the trust of our members.
Under the leadership of my predecessor, President Jin, AIIB built strong foundations and became a trusted multilateral institution with a clear record of delivery. Today, AIIB has 111 members. We have approved more than USD79 billion for over 400 projects across 43 economies. Our AAA ratings have been reaffirmed by all major credit-rating agencies.
When I took office at the start of the Bank’s second decade, I began by listening. Since January, I have travelled to over 30 member economies, meeting Governors, clients and partners. I learned about their development priorities and I saw how our financing is changing lives.
In India, I rode the Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System, which AIIB is helping to finance. A university student told me the new line has cut her daily commute by more than one hour, giving her more time for study and family. This is the impact of infrastructure: connecting people to opportunities.
Our members are very diverse. But one message has been remarkably consistent: more infrastructure, and more financing for infrastructure. You asked us to move closer to clients, respond more directly to members’ development agendas, and create greater development value alongside financing.
What I heard is shaping how we move forward.
The Bank’s goal for the next stage is to scale up development impact with innovation and integrity.
Impact requires scaling up. We aim to broadly double annual financing by 2030 to around USD20 billion.
We will add value where we have a comparative advantage: financing modern 21st century infrastructure – Infrastructure for Tomorrow. We will focus on infrastructure that supports climate resilience, renewable energy, digital transformation, regional connectivity, nature conservation and people-centered development. We will leverage modern technology and mobilize more private capital.
Innovation is how we deliver impact. We will continue to innovate our business model, financial instruments and organizational structure.
We will move closer to clients and markets, strengthen our country focus and selectively expand our presence in borrowing regions and international financial centers.
We will engage earlier in the project cycle, invest more in upstream work, strengthen project preparation support, and broaden our financing toolkit, including local-currency options.
Integrity is the soul of AIIB. It goes beyond zero tolerance for corruption. It means the highest standards, sound banking principles and honoring our commitments to members and clients. Above all, it means staying true to our mission and mandate.
Ladies and gentlemen, development depends on cooperation.
Development is universal and connected.
Development is not an agenda only for poorer countries. It is a universal agenda for all economies and all people. Development does not happen in isolation; it benefits from openness and connection. Cooperation expands markets, builds resilience and creates opportunities.
AIIB is built on a development partnership among equals. We move beyond a traditional donor-recipient divide. All our members are eligible to borrow according to their needs and our policies. We also encourage voluntary contributions to our special funds, which enable us to deepen our partnership with less developed members.
Cooperation is also at the heart of infrastructure. Infrastructure facilitates connections, and building it requires collaboration – across borders, institutions and markets.
Asia alone needs around USD3 trillion in infrastructure investment each year. No government or institution can meet that need alone. We must mobilize private capital and work closely with other development partners.
AIIB is a regional multilateral development bank with a global vision. We will maintain our focus on Asia. Promoting Asian regional integration and development is part of our original aspiration, as defined in our Articles of Agreement. Most of our financial resources will continue to support infrastructure development in Asia.
At the same time, AIIB is built on open regionalism. Asia’s development is increasingly connected with the rest of the world. Our non-regional members are important development partners for Asia, while also benefiting from deeper cooperation with the region.
This is multilateralism in practice. AIIB brings together members from different regions and at different income levels, with one common conviction: development, through cooperation.
This Annual Meeting carries the theme, “Tomorrow’s Infrastructure: Impact and Innovation.” Over the next two days, I invite you to share your guidance on how AIIB can scale up its development impact in a new global context.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
The world is not changed by good wishes. It is changed by action.
AIIB is a development institution in action.
We are builders. Together with our members and partners, let’s build trust, build connections and build Infrastructure for Tomorrow.
Through building, we make the world a better place to live.
A better world is possible, and a better world can be built.
Thank you.
