January 19, 2016

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Inaugural Ceremony

Speech by AIIB President Jin Liqun
January 16, 2016
Beijing, China

Your Excellency, President Xi,
Distinguished Governors,
Honored Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,


It is a tremendous privilege and honor to be elected the first President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. I am most appreciative of the faith and confidence that you have bestowed by entrusting me with this vital mandate. I pledge to do my utmost to ensure that the Bank meets the high bar that you, our shareholders, have set – an institution built on transparency, openness, accountability and independence. An agile and innovative institution that learns from the past and recognizes the promise and opportunities of the future.

In October 2013 His Excellency, President Xi Jinping, proposed a vision for a multilateral financial institution designed to improve the livelihoods of Asia’s people through investment in infrastructure and enhanced regional connectivity. President Xi’s invitation to the world has been warmly embraced.

Distinguished Governors, thank you for accepting the President’s invitation. Your extraordinary commitment and steadfast support have brought us together to celebrate the transformation of this vision into reality with the opening of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

AIIB is off to a good start. We will do our best to promote broad-based economic and social development through sustainable infrastructure investment in the Bank’s member countries. We will do our best to protect the environment and take care of the people in project areas.

We are proud of the Bank we have created: the process of its establishment has been participatory and inclusive; and its Charter embodies the views, voices, and values of its shareholders.

Our professional staff will come from all over the world, and they will be highly motivated.

I am committed to run AIIB as an organization which is ‘lean, clean and green’.

Under the leadership and guidance of AIIB’s Board of Governors, I will also work very closely with the Bank’s Board of Directors in the interest of all the member countries and the people they represent. I am fully confident that the Bank will make a positive and significant difference in Asia’s development.

I would like to express my deep gratitude to all member countries and in particular, to their Chief Negotiators, for their dedication and commitment throughout the Bank’s establishment process.

I would also like to thank members of MDB family, particularly the World Bank Group, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the European Investment Bank. Their support is most valuable. Please allow me to also note the dedication and commitment of the staff in the Chinese Ministry of Finance and at the Multilateral Interim Secretariat. The way that they have contributed to the Bank’s establishment defines enthusiasm, efficiency and effectiveness.

Finally, let me express my most profound thanks and appreciation to President Xi and the Government of the People's Republic of China for their extraordinary support and visionary leadership in spearheading AIIB’s establishment.

Thank you.

Logos for Download

AIIB logo is available in JPEG and PDF format.

DOWNLOAD

Media Contact

Lingxiao He

Press Officer

+86 10 8358 0683

SEND AN EMAIL
More News Articles

Seville, July 01, 2025

Sevilla Platform of Action Launched to Scale Country-Led Financing Approaches for Sustainable Development and Climate

Amid rising debt stress, limited fiscal space and escalating climate threats, country ownership of the development process is more important than ever. At the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4), two initiatives were launched under the Sevilla Platform of Action (SPA) to scale country-driven approaches to financing sustainable development and climate action and coordinate international support through the Global Financing Playbook.

READ MORE

Seville, June 30, 2025

AIIB and Arab Fund Forge Strategic Partnership to Advance Sustainable Infrastructure Development

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Arab Fund have formalized a strategic partnership through the signing of a memorandum of understanding aimed at deepening cooperation and accelerating the delivery of sustainable infrastructure across shared priority regions.

READ MORE

Paris, June 30, 2025

African Development Bank, AIIB sign MOU renewing their collaboration on sustainable economic development for Africa

The African Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) on Saturday signed an agreement strengthening their collaboration on sustainable economic development, designed to boost infrastructure development and economic opportunities across the African continent.

READ MORE

Paris, June 30, 2025

Heads of Multilateral Development Banks Commit to Strong Joint Action on Development Priorities

Heads of MDBs convene in Paris to reaffirm joint action on global development priorities and commit to reforms, enhanced coordination, and initiatives in energy, education, and water security.

READ MORE