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.
据报道，菲律宾不顾与中国政府关于南海领土划分的争端，宣布将加入由中国主导的亚洲基础设施投资银行(亚投行)。
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.
亚投行（有人视其为世界银行和总部设立于菲律宾的亚洲开发银行的竞争对手）预计于2016年初开始运作，开幕式计划于1月16日至18日举行。
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.
美国和日本，作为世界上第一和第三大经济体，同时作为亚洲开发银行的主要股东，均拒绝加入亚投行（中国在亚洲扩大其金融影响力计划中的一部分）。

"The two (AIIB membership and the maritime dispute) are totally unrelated," Philippine foreign department spokesman Charles Jose told AFP Wednesday.
菲律宾外交部发言人傅查理周三对法新社表示，加入亚投行和南海纠纷是完全不相干的两件事。
"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.
总统阿基诺的发言人科罗马对法新社称，菲律宾加入中国主导的亚投行的决定是基于本国经济发展的要求。
"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.
科罗马补充道：“这项决定和菲律宾在南海海域要求海事权利并没有任何联系。”
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.
根据50个创始成员国在6月底签署的法律框架规定，中国政府持有30%左右的亚投行股份，将是迄今为止亚投行最大的股东。
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.
亚投行总部设在北京，包括澳大利亚、德国和英国在内共有57个成员国。根据中国官方媒体新华社报道，亚投行预计将在2016年年中提供第一批项目贷款。
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."
在被问及中菲南海争端是否会影响菲律宾的亚投行成员资格时，中国外交部发言人陆慷在例行记者会上表示：“我认为亚投行的运作会根据亚投行协定行事，该协定是所有成员共同协商达成的。”