Jin Liqun, president of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, is far from being a household name in China, yet he is arguably one of the better known Chinese in Jiangsu due to his contribution to the development of his hometown.
More than 500 staff from 65 countries and regions work at the headquarters of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the first multilateral development institution initiated by China, managed by its president Jin Liqun, a native of Jiangsu.
“I was born in Changshu, Jiangsu Province, a place with a remarkable cultural heritage. I received a good education there when I was young. In the late 1950s, I started learning English in the fifth grade of primary school and received excellent teacher training and guidance. I believe it is very important in my teenage years,” said Jin Liqun, President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Jin Liqun developed a strong interest in philosophical books s in his teenage years. In the 1960s, he spent five yuan to buy "The Complete Works of Shakespeare".
In 1978, Jin Liqun was admitted to Beijing International Studies University and became one of the first batch of graduate students in China after the reform and opening up. He studied under the supervision of professors Wang Zuoliang and Xu Guozhang, majoring in British and American literature. His mentors were full of expectations for his future academic career. But in 1980, Jin Liqun made the decision to "cross border".
“In 1980, China restored its legal seats in the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, which required a group of people to work in these institutions. The country provided us with this opportunity to have this platform and cultivate us in order to work for the party and the country,” said Jin.
Faced with the demand for talent from China's reform and opening up, Jin Liqun was appointed by the Chinese Ministry of Finance to work at the World Bank in Washington. In 2003, Jin Liqun was appointed as the first Chinese vice president in the history of the Asian Development Bank.
“When working there, I felt that my performance was not personal, but rather the reputation of China. After 5 years of work, the Asian Investment Bank has always had Chinese people as its vice president,” said Jin.
In 2013, China proposed to establish the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, aiming at promoting infrastructure construction and connectivity in Asia, deepening regional cooperation and achieving common development. In 2016, the Asian Investment Bank officially opened. Jin Liqun was elected as the first president by participating in the preparation work.
As an important platform for building a community with a shared future for mankind, in the past eight years of operation, the Asian Investment Bank has developed from 57 founding member countries to an important international multilateral institution with 106 members from six continents in the world.
“What we are promoting is not China's own development, but the development of the entire Asia, beyond Asia. With the passage of time, people have increased their confidence in this bank as a true international institution rather than a bank in China. I think it reflects China's cohesion, charisma, and credibility. My task is to build a good bank in 10 years by formulating a series of standardized measures so that everyone must implement them according to the standards,” said Jin.
Jin Liqun, who is of the same age as New China and witnessing the pace of China's reform and opening up, has always maintained a busy and active working schedule.
The opportunity to return to his hometown has become very rare but for more than forty years, he has always been accompanied by the nourishment of his hometown and concerned about the development of his hometown. In 2017, Jin Liqun was invited to attend the first Jiangsu Development Summit. On August 16, 2019, the "the Belt and Road" Overseas Investment and Trade Matchmaking Conference hosted by the Asian Investment Bank was held in Suzhou, opening the prelude to its cooperation with Jiangsu.
“In the past decade, great changes have taken place in my hometown with sustainable economic development, strengthening the ability to respond to sudden challenges, continuously developing towards high-tech direction, and making the economy forward-looking,” said Jin.
At this year's Jiangsu Development Summit, Jin Liqun will participate in the Yangtze River Business Summit and serve as a guest speaker, sharing local feelings and seeking common development with Jiangsu people both at home and abroad.
“We must focus on the global geopolitical situation and macroeconomic development to formulate our development direction, and Jiangsu has been doing very well in this regard. We also need to have new ideas, new methods, and new concepts. No matter where we are, we must make whatever contribution we should have. I wish this conference a complete success and hope that the Asian Investment Bank can have good cooperation with Jiangsu Province,” said Jin.
