19 June 2015 – Philippine Ambassador to China Erlinda F. Basilio met with Secretary-General Jin Liqun of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Multilateral Interim Secretariat at the Four Seasons Hotel on June 09, prior to the Embassy’s reception to commemorate the 117th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 40th anniversary of the establishment of Philippines-China diplomatic relations. At the meeting, Secretary-General Jin said that AIIB considers the Philippines an important member of the Bank, since it was one of the countries who initially expressed support to China’s proposal to set up the Bank. He mentioned that possible projects to be undertaken by AIIB in the Philippines would contribute towards the economic development of the Philippines and further enhancement of bilateral relations between the Philippines and China.

Ambassador Basilio told Secretary-General Jin that the Bank serves as a useful platform for cooperation between China and neighboring countries to collectively address the infrastructure needs of the region. She reassured Secretary-General Jin of the Philippines’ vast reservoir of goodwill towards the Chinese people and the country’s continued efforts to have a more robust bilateral exchange with China. Prior to his appointment as Secretary-General of the AIIB Multilateral Interim Secretariat, Mr. Jin was the former Vice Minister of Finance, former Vice President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and former Chairman of the China International Capital Corporation Ltd. and the China Investment Corporation (CIC) – a sovereign wealth fund which manages part of China’s foreign reserves. END