The Asian Development Bank is to work with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank on a loan project as the pair seek to counter perceptions they are rivals, according to the ADB’s chief.

亚洲开发银行（ADB，中文简称“亚开行”）负责人表示，该行将与亚洲基础设施投资银行（AIIB，中文简称“亚投行”）合作推进一个贷款项目。这两家开发银行正寻求打消有关它们是对手的看法。

The China-led AIIB is also consulting the ADB, which is dominated by Japan and the US, on procedures to ensure loan projects include labour, environmental and anti-corruption safeguards, said Takehiko Nakao, ADB president, yesterday in an interview.

亚开行行长中尾武彦(Takehiko Nakao)昨日在接受采访时还表示，中国主导的亚投行也在向日本和美国主导的亚开行征询，以求制定相关程序，确保贷款项目包括劳工、环境和反腐败方面的保障措施。

“People want to depict ADB and AIIB as rivals and [AIIB president] Mr Jin [Liqun] and I as rivals. But actually we are friends, and ADB and AIIB can be partners,” said Mr Nakao.

“人们希望把亚开行和亚投行描绘成对手，把（亚投行行长）金立群和我描绘成对手。但实际上我们是朋友，而亚开行和亚投行可以成为合作伙伴，”中尾武彦表示。

“We’re already identifying projects for the first batch of AIIB loans. One of them should be co-financing between AIIB and ADB.”

“我们已经在为亚投行的首批贷款物色项目。其中一个项目应该是亚投行和亚开行之间的合作融资。”

China launched the AIIB last year, with 57 countries joining as founding members, despite US objections. The bank was an effort to increase China’s influence in multilateral institutions after years of grumbling that the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and ADB were dominated by developed economies, analysts said.

中国在去年成立亚投行，57个国家加盟为创始成员，尽管美国反对。分析人士称，中国的目的是增加其在多边机构中的影响力，此前多年里，中国抱怨国际货币基金组织(IMF)、世界银行(World Bank)和亚开行均由发达经济体主导。

Japan has held the presidency of the ADB since the bank was founded in 1966, while informal agreements have meant that US and European nationals lead, respectively, the World Bank and IMF.

自亚开行1966年成立以来，其行长一直由日本方面提名，而非正式协议意味着美欧人士分别执掌世行和IMF。

Some officials have expressed concern that the AIIB will lack transparency and adhere to lower standards for labour and environmental protection. But Mr Nakao said that he and Mr Jin had discussed the need for safeguards.

一些官员表示担心，亚投行将缺乏透明度，在劳工和环保方面降低标准。但中尾武彦称，他和金立群讨论了保障措施的必要性。

“We agreed that social and environmental protection considerations are important, safeguard processes are important. We have been supporting the AIIB to produce these policies and guidelines,” he said.

“我们一致认为，社会和环保考虑是重要的，保障流程是重要的。我们一直在支持亚投行拟定这些政策和指引，”他说。

Mr Nakao has been a staunch advocate of engagement with China, despite some critics saying that as a middle-income country, China no longer needs support from development banks.

中尾武彦一贯坚定主张同中国接触，尽管有一些批评者称，作为一个中等收入国家，中国不再需要开发银行的支持。

The ADB approved a total of $1.7bn to Chinese local and central government in 2015 and an additional $700m to companies, of $27bn in total loan approvals. ADB’s focus in China is on projects related to climate change and the environment.

亚开行在2015年批准向中国地方和中央政府发放共计17亿美元贷款，向中国企业发放另外7亿美元贷款；该行批准的贷款总额为270亿美元。亚开行在中国的重点是那些与气候变化和环境相关的项目。

The ADB has issued renminbi bonds both in China and offshore to support its lending to the country, although Mr Nakao said there were no plans to make renminbi loans to other borrowers. The AIIB also said in January that it would lend in US dollars.

亚开行发行了在岸和离岸人民币债券，以支持其向中国的放贷，尽管中尾武彦表示，没有计划向其他借款人发放人民币贷款。亚投行也在1月表示，它将以美元放贷。

Last year the ADB approved a $300m anti-pollution loan to the government of Hebei, China’s most polluted province. Critics said the so-called budget support loan was a fiscal subsidy to Hebei to help plug a gap in its operating budget. However, Mr Nakao said the loan was an opportunity to deploy ADB expertise to influence policy.

去年，亚开行批准向中国污染最严重的省份——河北省的省政府发放一笔3亿美元的抗污染贷款。批评者说，所谓的预算支持贷款实际上是向河北省提供的财政补贴，帮助填补其运作预算的缺口。然而，中尾武彦表示，那笔贷款是亚开行传授专业知识、影响政策的机会。

“We’re doing this to have a stronger process upstream instead of just individual projects. We are discussing how this money is used. It’s not just a checking account.”

“我们这样做是为了在上游确立更强大的过程，而不只是为了个别项目。我们正在讨论这笔钱被如何使用。它不只是一个支票账户。”