印度成为亚投行最大借款国
India has emerged as the biggest beneficiary of the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank , soaking up a quarter of its investment commitments to date, despite continuing tension between New Delhi and Beijing. In its first two years, the AIIB — conceived by China as an alternative to the World Bank — approved $4.3bn worth of funding for infrastructure projects around Asia, more than $1bn worth of which is due to go to schemes in India. Bank officials say the willingness to lend to India and the willingness of New Delhi to approve the funds is proof the AIIB is not a puppet of Beijing. Danny Alexander, vice-president at the bank and a former UK cabinet minister, said: “One of the questions I have to deal with a lot is, ‘Is this a Chinese bank?’ And it’s not — it’s a multilateral bank that has 84 member countries. “India is the largest borrower, we’ve invested more in India than anywhere else. We’re doing things in India with a pace and breadth which is very encouraging. And it shows that any country in Asia, no matter what their diplomatic relations are, is able to engage with and benefit from the work of the AIIB.” The UK was the first G7 country to become a member nation, but was rebuked by the US, with officials in Washington warning that the bank could become an instrument of Chinese foreign policy. Other US allies, including France and Germany, signed up, leaving the US and Japan the only G7 countries to refuse to do so. India was an early backer, despite longstanding tension with its neighbour. The two countries fought a war in 1962 and have skirmished several times since. Last year, soldiers from each side had a face-off at Doklam in the Himalayas. India has been concerned about China’s growing influence in what New Delhi considers its neighbourhood, with Beijing funding schemes in Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka under its Belt and Road Initiative. India refused an invitation to become part of that scheme. Analysts say New Delhi has taken comfort that the bank’s 84 members represent a range of global alliances. Besides, they add, it is so desperate for infrastructure funding that it is willing to overlook China’s de facto veto on certain AIIB decisions. “India needs financing, and so got on board with the AIIB,” said Dhruva Jaishankar, a fellow at Brookings India. “New Delhi sees a clear distinction between the AIIB, which is an institution with a board, membership and voting rights, and the Belt and Road Initiative, which is a vision only of the Chinese under which they have placed all kinds of different projects.” Some in China believe India’s participation is a precursor to its acceptance of the BRI. Wang Dehua, a professor at Shanghai Institute for International Studies, said: “China simply needs to be patient. I am sure India eventually will participate.” For the AIIB, India offers potentially strong returns: the country is the fastest-growing major economy, and policymakers used to dealing with international development banks and can give approvals relatively quickly. “[India] has been a very good partner to work with, and very quick off the mark with bringing projects to the bank,” said Sir Danny. The AIIB is focusing on two areas of Indian infrastructure: power and transport. But rather than invest in schemes such as large solar farms, it has decided to focus on sometimes neglected pieces of the country’s systems. In Tamil Nadu, for example, it is lending $100m to build electricity transmission lines. “We are particularly interested in renewables and energy efficiency projects,” Joachim von Amsberg, AIIB’s vice-president for strategy, said in New Delhi recently. “But we also have to make sure the projects and companies we are investing in are themselves sustainable, and that we are spending money only where we can make a difference.” |