Australia Should Have Been Founding Member of AIIB: Geoff Raby
Geoff Raby, former Australian Ambassador to China, said it is entirely reasonable for China to establish the AIIB and shortsighted for Australia not to become a founding member. But, whatever ‘big brother’ America wants, Australia placates.
Australia should not have refused to become a founding member of the new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Australia’s former ambassador to China Geoff Raby said.
China and 20 countries signed a memorandum of understanding in Beijing on Friday to launch the infrastructure bank, which is set to become one of the Asia-Pacific’s biggest lenders.
Australia, South Korea and Indonesia did not sign up.
“Yes, most definitely we should have been there,” Mr Raby said at the Future Forums discussion on the Asian Century in Sydney on Tuesday.
“If we have concerns about the governance, we should get in there and fix it. Not being a founding member of something like this is a very big call.
” I don’t understand why we don’t want to be at the outset of a new regional institution.”
Mr Raby said with the world economy leaning towards China, it is not unusual for China to want to change some of the international architecture.
“It is not unreasonable for China or India to want new international arrangements that go beyond all those years ago when the [Asian Development Bank] was created after World War II.”
– Brisbane Times
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