The Heat discusses China’s new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

The Heat

Nearly 60 countries have signed on to be founding members of the new China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), surprising many analysts.

The new bank is one of several Chinese initiatives offering an alternative to the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank.

China’s rapid growth in recent decades has many economists expecting it to overtake the United States in the next few years as the world’s leading economy. But, with the U.S. opting not to join the new bank, some are wondering whether it signals reluctance by the United States to accept China’s status and work together to solve some of the world’s pressing economic challenges.

The Heat began this discussion with CCTV America’s Owen Fairclough in Washington, D.C.
Follow Owen Fairclough on Twitter @cloughieDC

The Heat discussed the AIIB with these panel of experts:

  • From Shanghai, Chen Dongxiao, the president of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies.
  • The director of the Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies at the Cato Institute — Dan Ikenson.
  • From London,  the management editor of The Economist — Adrian Wooldridge.

After the break, The Heat continued to talk about economic competition and cooperation between the U.S. and China.