Canadian expert calls for U.S., Japan to join AIIB

Professor John Kirton with People's Daily Online reporter Photo: People's Daily Online/Zhang Zhiqiang

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is in line with Canadian values, said a Canadian political science professor in an exclusive interview with People’s Daily Online, who also calls on the U.S. and Japan to join.

“AIIB is meeting the highest global standard of corporate social responsibilities, of good governance. The highest standard in protecting the environment, of protecting labor,” said Professor John Kirton from the Munk School of Global Affairs at University of Trinity College in the University of Toronto.

“Canada has said yes, because those values are what Canada cherishes at home. And we know our friends in the U.S. cherish them too, and our friends in Japan as well. We are waiting for the U.S. and Japan, now that Canada has given its favorable approval, to follow Canada and say we, too, want to be associated with this important, new instrument of mobilizing new money for green investment to help solve not just the infrastructure gap that the world has, but to help realize President Xi’s vision of bringing an ecological civilization from China to the world as a whole,” Kirton said.

Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced Canada's decision to apply for AIIB membership at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday, a decision welcomed by China the Xinhua News Agency reported.