Bank sees investment potential in NZ
Asian infrastructure fund’s chairman believes free trade relationship with China has helped create huge opportunities for this country
The chairman of a major investment fund launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping has made an unusual offer to facilitate investment by sovereign wealth funds in New Zealand infrastructure.
Jin Liqun is the inaugural president and chairman of the board of directors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). New Zealand was an early founding signatory, agreeing to invest $125 million over five years (to the chagrin of the United States, which saw it as a challenge to the existing order).
In his first visit to New Zealand as AIIB chair, Jin found there was a huge demand for infrastructure investment in Auckland and right across New Zealand.
“I would be very pleased to help bring the investors to this country because we work with lots of big investors, sovereign wealth funds, big private investors and we can really work together understanding each other better, having the other investors understand New Zealand better,” he told this columnist.
When I sat down with Jin, it was clear he has rich experience across the private and public sectors, serving as chairman of China International Capital Corporation — China’s first joint-venture investment bank — chairman of the supervisory board of China Investment Corporation, and as chairman of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds.
In the latter capacity he got to know incoming Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr well when he was boss of NZ’s own sovereign wealth fund — the New Zealand Superannuation Fund. He speaks highly — very highly — of “Adrian”.
Jin also spent nearly two decades at the Chinese Ministry of Finance, reaching the rank of Vice-Minister.
He is obviously attuned to the subtleties of Chinese politics, and of the Asian region.
On his New Zealand visit he was supposed to meet Finance Minister Grant Robertson. But that fell over (Robertson was sick). He instead met
the Associate Minister of Finance, David Parker, and Brook Barrington, Secretary of Foreign Affairs.
The formal agenda for the Jin visit was to thank New Zealand for its “extraordinary contribution” in helping set up the bank. Jin said quite
a number of brilliant ideas came from the chief negotiators, including New Zealand, which had resulted in the bank having special features — while “remaining in the gene-pool of the multilateral development banks”.
He talked about how the AIIB is innovative, with revolutionary approaches to development and with basic values of being lean, clean and green.
He also met local consultants, to open them to the possibility of working on some of the major infrastructure projects that the AIIB will get under way as it seeks to help meet growing projected infrastructure needs in Asia. Those needs are in the region of US$14,731 billion for power projects alone for 2016-2030.
As a developed nation, New Zealand does not appear a likely candidate for investment from the AIIB.
But Jin explains that under the bank’s articles of agreement it can invest in any member country, including New Zealand. But because the board wants a focus on helping developing countries, developed nations cannot borrow from the bank. AIIB assistance would have to come through different channels.
His contention is that the free trade relationship New Zealand has cemented with China has helped create a huge market for this country, with considerable potential to further develop dairy products and the commercial forestry industry. In discussions with government, he learnt it was interested in building affordable housing for Maori and for the local people.
Said Jin: “My view is New Zealand government is open and has set up a very good enabling environment for investment, for its infrastructure and other development.
“What is needed in my view is for the international community to better understand the different needs of different countries.
“Any developed country needs to either improve or upgrade their infrastructure systems. They develop infrastructure systems early on but after two or three decades it needs upgrading, expansion, new technology. The same is true of the United States, right?”
Jin’s subsequent offer to act as a facilitator poses a challenge to
government thinking. Cabinet Ministers from Jacinda Ardern down have expressed a desire for institutions like the NZ Super Fund and ACC to invest more in New Zealand infrastructure.
But sovereign wealth funds — including our own — prefer to diversify their country risk for clear reasons.
They are basically the custodians of funds that are meant to help underwrite the retirement demands of their nationals, not serve as quasi tax flows.
It was a surprise to this columnist to find that Jin believes New Zealand does not feature particularly highly on the radar screen of many sovereign wealth funds — although there has been substantial past interest by a Canadian fund in Auckland Airport.
He pointed to sovereign wealth funds from China and Abu Dhabi which were looking for business opportunities. But often those funds would look at big countries — believing the big country would offer more opportunity — which was not always the case.
The upshot is that Jin believes his discussions in New Zealand were very helpful. “I think one of the takeaways is that probably we should bring the outside world to understand New Zealand better.
“It’s the tip of Asia, very close to the South American countries, and probably people will look at Australia, will look at some big countries, but New Zealand can offer them very good options.”
Any developed country needs to either improve or upgrade their infrastructure systems. They develop infrastructure systems early on but after two or three decades it needs upgrading, expansion, new technology. The same is true of the United States, right?