菲律賓宣佈加入亞投行 搭上"末班車"

The Philippines said Wednesday it will join the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, despite being engaged in a dispute with Beijing over its claims in the South China Sea.

據報道，菲律賓不顧與中國政府關於南海領土劃分的爭端，宣佈將加入由中國主導的亞洲基礎設施投資銀行(亞投行)。

Viewed by some as a rival to the World Bank and the Philippines-based Asian Development Bank, the AIIB is expected to begin operation early next year with an opening ceremony scheduled for January 16-18.

亞投行（有人視其爲世界銀行和總部設立於菲律賓的亞洲開發銀行的競爭對手）預計於2016年初開始運作，開幕式計劃於1月16日至18日舉行。

The United States and Japan, respectively the world's largest and third-largest economies and the principal shareholders in the ADB, have both declined to join the AIIB, part of an initiative by China to expand its financial clout in Asia.

美國和日本，作爲世界上第一和第三大經濟體，同時作爲亞洲開發銀行的主要股東，均拒絕加入亞投行（中國在亞洲擴大其金融影響力計劃中的一部分）。

"The two (AIIB membership and the maritime dispute) are totally unrelated," Philippine foreign department spokesman Charles Jose told AFP Wednesday.

菲律賓外交部發言人傅查理週三對法新社表示，加入亞投行和南海糾紛是完全不相干的兩件事。

"The decision of the Philippines to be one of the founding members of the China-led AIIB is based on the country's economic development imperatives," President Benigno Aquino's spokesman Herminio Coloma told AFP.

總統阿基諾的發言人科羅馬對法新社稱，菲律賓加入中國主導的亞投行的決定是基於本國經濟發展的要求。

"There is no linkage between this decision and the issues raised by the Philippines with regard to maritime entitlement claims in the South China Sea", Coloma added.

科羅馬補充道：“這項決定和菲律賓在南海海域要求海事權利並沒有任何聯繫。”

Beijing will be by far the largest shareholder of the AIIB at about 30 percent, according to the legal framework signed by 50 founding member countries in late June.

根據50個創始成員國在6月底簽署的法律框架規定，中國政府持有30%左右的亞投行股份，將是迄今爲止亞投行最大的股東。

The bank is based in Beijing and currently has 57 members, including Australia, Germany and Britain. It expects to offer its first batch of project loans by mid-2016, according to China's official Xinhua news agency.

亞投行總部設在北京，包括澳大利亞、德國和英國在內共有57個成員國。根據中國官方媒體新華社報道，亞投行預計將在2016年年中提供第一批項目貸款。

Asked whether the South China Sea dispute would affect the Philippines' AIIB membership, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular briefing: "I think the operation of the AIIB will be decided by the AIIB rules, which are made by all the members."

在被問及中菲南海爭端是否會影響菲律賓的亞投行成員資格時，中國外交部發言人陸慷在例行記者會上表示：“我認爲亞投行的運作會根據亞投行協定行事，該協定是所有成員共同協商達成的。”