Wilson, J.D. (2019). ‘The evolution of China’s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: From a revisionist to status-seeking agenda’. International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, 19(1): 147-176
Abstract
China’s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a controversial addition to both the global and Asian economic architectures. Western critics have alleged it is a vehicle designed to achieve China’s geostrategic goals, while scholars have argued it marks China’s adoption of a ‘revisionist’ foreign policy strategy. This article argues that such interpretations are incorrect, as they fail to account for the evolution of China’s AIIB agenda. To secure a broad membership and international legitimacy for the AIIB, China compromised with partners during governance negotiations in 2015. Western country demands saw several controversial initial proposals dropped, the governance practices of existing multilateral development banks were adopted, and cooperative partnerships were developed with the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. This transition from a revisionist to status-seeking AIIB agenda reveals the flexibility of Chinese economic statecraft, and its willingness to compromise strategic goals to boost the legitimacy of its international leadership claims.
中国的亚洲基础设施投资银行（AIIB）是对全球和亚洲经济体系的有争议的补充。西方评论家认为这是一个旨在实现中国地缘战略目标的手段，而学者们认为这标志着中国采取了“修正主义”的外交政策策略。本文认为，这样的解释是不正确的，因为它们没有解释中国的AIIB议程的演变。为了争取亚投行的广泛会员资格和国际合法性，中国在 2015 年的治理谈判中与合作伙伴进行了妥协。西方国家的要求看到了一些有争议的初步建议被取消，现有多边开发银行的治理实践被采纳，并与世界银行和亚洲开发银行。
Keywords
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), China, United States, Japan, revisionism
Jeffrey Wilson 