AIIB marks 10th anniversary with focus on sustainable, future-oriented infrastructure

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) opened its 10th annual meeting in Beijing on Tuesday, with the three-day event celebrating a decade of advancing infrastructure connectivity and sustainable development across Asia and beyond.

Founded in 2015 as a China-initiated multilateral development bank, AIIB now counts 110 members, covering 81 percent of the global population and 65 percent of global GDP. It has received the highest AAA credit ratings from the three major international rating agencies.

In an exclusive interview with China Media Group (CMG) during the annual meeting, AIIB President Jin Liqun said the bank is expanding its vision to support not only traditional infrastructure but also new forms of development.

"We are now investing in projects under the new infrastructure framework, including digital economy, internet access, and urban renewal such as subway upgrades. All of our projects aim to improve livelihoods, promote economic sustainability, protect the environment and reduce emissio," Jin said.

As of the end of 2024, AIIB has approved 322 projects totaling more than 60 billion U.S. dollars in investments, benefiting 38 members across and beyond Asia. The bank's investments have supported over 51,000 kilometers of transportation infrastructure and improved access to safe drinking water for around 8.7 million people.

Its energy investments have added 21.3 million kilowatts of renewable energy capacity and are expected to reduce nearly 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in emissions annually.

Jin emphasized that AIIB offers more than just funding to help members achieve long-term progress.

"AIIB is the only multilateral development bank where developing countries are the majority shareholders and developed countries are the minority. We focus on the construction and development of infrastructure to drive sustainable growth and poverty reduction. But we're not just providing capital, we also offer technical expertise and a new development philosophy," he said.

AIIB marks 10th anniversary with focus on sustainable, future-oriented infrastructure

AIIB marks 10th anniversary with focus on sustainable, future-oriented infrastructure

The historical facts of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre committed by Japanese army during the invasion of China cannot be distorted or denied, veteran journalist Yoichi Jomaru said in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) on Saturday.

Jomaru, a former journalist with Asahi Shimbun, spent three and a half years reviewing approximately 80 Japanese newspapers and related materials published across Japan of that time to search for wartime and postwar coverage of the Nanjing Massacre.

He found that while Japanese media at the time recorded part of the facts of the massacre, they remained silent on many atrocities.

Jomaru said that Japanese reporters at the time intentionally hid the truth of the massacre and other atrocities committed by the Japanese army in China, and his findings were published in his book.

"Even if it is a cruel and shameful history, the Nanjing Massacre cannot be denied. History cannot be denied. I was a journalist, a news reporter. Covering up the truth of the history is wrong," said Jomaru.

Jomaru said that Japan must face its history of aggression and honestly face its wartime responsibility to build genuine trust and understanding with its Asian neighbors.

"I think one of Japan's major failures after the war was not forming a broad social consensus on the nature of its aggression. To make sure that people have books to read when they want to access the truth, there must be someone to write about it. As an author, I will continue to write and publish," said Jomaru.

Facts of Nanjing Massacre cannot be denied: Japanese journalist