View All Analysis | Jan. 12, 2021, 12:48 p.m.

Browse our analysis section for news and articles on topics such as China's Belt and Road Initiative (OBOR), the world's evolving digital infrastructure competition, and the stakes for U.S. policy.

AIIB Crisis Funds Spike Amid Covid-19 | Sept. 18, 2020, 9:16 a.m.

The China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has seen its net profits decline and crisis-related expenditures spike in light of emergency funding intended to help members meet financial needs under the pandemic, Nikkei reports.

The AIIB's Risky Pandemic Response | Aug. 20, 2020, 2:38 p.m.

The Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank's (AIIB) response to Covid-19 may determine its emerging role in development finance, for good or ill. While it has responded quickly and substantially to the pressing needs of its members, these actions risk contributing to debt risks, institutional overreach, and perceived favoritism towards Beijing.

Xi Plugs AIIB as Cooperation Model | July 28, 2020, 9:13 a.m.

Chinese president Xi Jinping proposed on Tuesday to restructure the Beijing-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) into an inclusive platform for the promotion of international cooperation and multilateralism amid the coronavirus pandemic, Nikkei reports.

ADB: Developing Asia's Growth Slowing | June 18, 2020, 7:11 a.m.

The Asian Development Bank announced that the region is only expected to grow by 0.1 percent this year, the slowest rate since 1961 and a further deterioration from the 2.2 percent projection in April following the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, Nikkei reports.

Bangladesh Seeks Multilateral Lending | April 13, 2020, 9:46 a.m.

Bangladesh is seeking $700 million in emergency financing from the International Monetary Fund in addition to budget support from multilateral banks including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Nikkei reports.

Building the Future of Quality Infrastructure | April 2, 2020, 10:29 a.m.

Infrastructure is crucial for fostering countries’ economic development and prosperity. This collection of policy briefs discusses how to maximize the impact of quality infrastructure investments through sustainable financing and other resilient strategies to support the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

Cooperation Amid Asia's Infrastructure Competition | Oct. 30, 2019, 10:14 a.m.

Questions of economic development, military power projection, political influence, and global economic suzerainty form the backdrop for what is emerging as a global competition centered on the most economically dynamic region of the world—Asia. And infrastructure development is at the center of that contest.

ADB President on the Future of Asia | Oct. 16, 2019, 10:33 a.m.

On October 16th, CSIS Senior Vice President and Simon Chair in Political Economy, Matthew P. Goodman, hosted Asian Development Bank President Takehiko Nakao for a conversation about quality infrastructure in Asia, China's Belt and Road Initiative, and more.

AIIB Courts Private Capital | July 16, 2019, 8:17 a.m.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is courting private sector investors to jointly fund infrastructure projects, Nikkei reports.

AIIB Mitigates Infrastructure Investments' Risks | July 12, 2019, 9:57 a.m.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment bank will begin lending in local-currencies in India, Indonesia, Thailand, Turkey, and Russia. The move mitigates the risks foreign exchange fluctuations pose to private-sector companies investing in emerging markets' infrastructure, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

Achieving Sustainability through Quality Infrastructure | June 27, 2019, 12:06 p.m.

It is critical that public-sector officials responsible for infrastructure development—both at the local and national levels—commit to transparent practices to secure sustainable financing mechanisms.

ADB to Limit China Funding | May 3, 2019, 9:06 a.m.

The Asian Development Bank's President, Takehiko Nakao, has said the ADB is limiting the amount of funding it provides to China. Nakao noted that China is "becoming a country that can raise money by issuing its own debt" through projects such as the Belt and Road Initative, reports the Nikkei Asian Review

The Higher Road | April 23, 2019, 9:56 a.m.

Over the next 15 years, more hard infrastructure is projected to be built around the world than currently exists. As our infrastructure is transformed, so will be the economies it fuels, the regions it connects, and the global commons it underpins. These trends are too powerful and potentially beneficial for the United States to stop, and too consequential to ignore.

World Bank May Cut China Loans | Feb. 8, 2019, 9:22 a.m.

David Malpass, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the World Bank, told media sources on Wednesday that he hopes to cut the multilateral lender's loans to China, which he believes is too wealthy to receive large loans from the World Bank. Malpass also criticized China's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, saying that the BRI "leaves countries with heavy burdens of debt," reports Nikkei.

Singapore To Become BRI Hub | Oct. 25, 2018, 9:11 a.m.

Singapore's central bank announced the start of a new program that will provide Asian emerging nations banking and legal services for infrastructure projects like roads, harbors, airports, railroads, and power stations. This program aims to make the city-state a key player in contracts related to China's Belt and Road Initiative.

ADB Launches Strategy 2030 | July 26, 2018, 2:11 p.m.

Asia and the Pacific have made great strides in deveopment over the past 50 years, however much remains to be done. Issues such as poverty and vulnerability, rising inequality, climate change, growing environmental pressures, and large infrastructure deficits remain to be addressed while merging trends, such as technological advancements, urbanization, and changing demographics, present opportunities and challenges

A Chinese World Order | July 24, 2018, 11:38 a.m.

China's latest "16+1" summit in Sofia Bulgaria perfectly captures China’s deceptive brand of multilateralism. Bringing together many countries, it gives the outward appearance of inclusivity and consensus-building, but beneath the surface, it is fundamentally different from the multilateral practices and institutions it claims to uphold. China has yet to offer the world deep multilateralism at scale.

AIIB Reassures Members on Debt | June 27, 2018, 9:49 a.m.

AIIB president Jin Liqun announced his intent to create financial stability for the bank's 87 member countries and establish the AIIB as a multilateral development bank commensurate with the World Bank Group, Asian Development Bank, and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

AIIB, ADB Point to Cooperation | June 13, 2018, 9:52 a.m.

Executives from the ADB and AIIB converged on The Future of Asia conference in Tokyo to discuss how their banks complement, rather than compete with one another.

ADB Pressed on Belt & Road, Quality Infrastructure | May 7, 2018, 10:10 a.m.

The Asian Development Bank hosted its annual meeting on May 3, during which representatives from China and Japan lobbied the bank about future lending strategies.

Inside the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: | April 26, 2018, 10:10 a.m.

On April 25, the Simon Chair's Reconnecting Asia Project hosted a conversation with Natalie Lichtenstein, Chief Counsel for the 57-country negotiations that led to the AIIB's founding and the principal drafter of the Bank's charter, to discuss her new book: A Comparative Guide to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Asia’s Infrastructure Contest | April 17, 2018, 4:54 p.m.

The tug of war between quantity and quality is now at the center of Asia’s infrastructure contest.

EBRD to Expand Cooperation with AIIB | Nov. 14, 2017, 9:38 a.m.

According to EBRD Vice President Pierre Heilbronn, the bank is eager to expand cooperation with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in Central Asia.

Moody's Gives AIIB Highest Credit Rating | June 30, 2017, 8:34 a.m.

Moody's recently granted the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank it's highest credit rating.

Questions Remain for Evolving AIIB | June 29, 2017, 9 a.m.

The AIIB concluded its second annual meeting in Jeju Island, South Korea on June 16, yet many questions about the bank’s role in global governance remain open.

ADBI Recommended Reading | June 22, 2017, 9:19 a.m.

Here is a selection of work from ADBI related to four areas the Reconnecting Asia Project covers: climate change and sustainability, energy, regional integration, and infrastructure finance.

AIIB Membership Rises to 80 | June 22, 2017, 8:23 a.m.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank admitted three new members during its second annual meeting bringing total membership to 80.

AIIB Grows in Second Year | June 15, 2017, 8:40 a.m.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank will enter its second annual meeting with 20 new members compared to last year.

AIIB Preps for Second Annual Meeting | June 14, 2017, 8:29 a.m.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is preparing to hold its second annual meeting on June 16 - 18 in Jeju South Korea.

AIIB Gathers in South Korea | June 12, 2017, 11:59 a.m.

Quotes and Quotas is a weekly digest of phrases and facts that help explain Asia’s infrastructure push.

ADB Pursues Internal Reform | May 9, 2017, 8:37 a.m.

ADB: Private Sector Key to Filling Infrastructure Gap | May 5, 2017, 9:56 a.m.

ADB to Referee Public Private Partnerships for Infrastructure | May 3, 2017, 8:15 a.m.

The Asian Development Bank in a Reconnected Asia | April 25, 2017, 1:23 p.m.

Asian Development Bank President Takehiko Nakao discusses infrastructure investment's impact on inclusive and sustainable economic growth in Asia at the 2017 Global Development Forum.

The AIIB Admits 13 New Members | March 23, 2017, 8:55 a.m.

Assessing Asia’s Infrastructure Needs | March 2, 2017, 9 a.m.

Quotes and Quotas is a weekly digest of phrases and facts that help explain Asia’s infrastructure push.

ADB: China Is Not Over-investing in Infrastructure | March 1, 2017, 9:17 a.m.

Asia Needs $26T for Infrastructure by 2030 | Feb. 28, 2017, 9:15 a.m.

Myanmar’s Rohingya Crisis Highlights Investment Uncertainty | Feb. 9, 2017, 9:36 a.m.

Disrupting Development Finance | Feb. 2, 2017, 1:19 p.m.

The challenge today for multilateral development banks is not how to mobilize excess savings but how to catalyze abundant capital for development.

New Strategic Role in Myanmar for Asian Development Bank | Feb. 1, 2017, 12:05 a.m.

The Asian Development Bank will sign and Agreement with Myanmar to become a strategic and operational adviser for the countries entire transportation sector.

AIIB Hits First-Year Lending Target | Jan. 26, 2017, 12:05 a.m.

The China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank surpassed its lending target of $1.2 billion in its first year, according to Nikkei Asian Review.

China-led Bank Draws Members, Not Staffers | Jan. 17, 2017, 9:12 a.m.

World Bank Issuing First Bonds in July | Jan. 10, 2017, 12:05 a.m.

The Role of U.S. Soft-Infrastructure in Influencing the Reconnecting of Asia | Nov. 17, 2016, 3:49 p.m.

There are six areas where the United States can directly influence the soft infrastructure in the reconnecting Asia footprint. All of these must be done in coordination with our bilateral and multilateral partners.

Barriers to Bankable Infrastructure | Nov. 2, 2016, 9:26 a.m.

This report discusses the estimated $1 trillion annual global infrastructure gap and provides recommendations on how U.S. agencies and multilateral development banks can better incentivize private-sector investment in global infrastructure.