Dominguez attending AIIB meeting in India

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III is attending the third annual meeting of the Beijing-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a gathering policymakers and development experts in financing, in Mumbai, India. In a statement, the Department of Finance (DOF) said that this year’s AIIB Board of Governors meeting will focus on infrastructure investments and the role of the private sector in building new infrastructure. “The Board of Governors’ meetings and seminars will focus discussions on ways to ensure a sustainable future for Asia through sound infrastructure investments,” the DOF said. The meeting will feature the launching of the Asian Infrastructure Forum (AIF), which aims to focus on projectdriven discussions and match innovative financing programs to critical infrastructure needs. According to host country India, this year’s theme, “Mobilizing Finance for Infrastructure: Innovation and Collaboration,” recognizes the private sector’s vital role in bridging the infrastructure gap. Dominguez, as AIIB governor for the Philippines, attended the Governors’ Seminars and delivered the Philippines’ statement during the Governors’ Business Roundtable yesterday. After the Governors’ Plenary Session, Dominguez is scheduled today to deliver the keynote speech at the AIF workshop on “Advancing Together: ASEAN Infrastructure Development.” Joining Dominguez in the panel discussion during the workshop are Singapore Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, Indonesian Minister of National Development Planning Bambang P.S. Brodjonegoro, Preeti Saran, Secretary (East) of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, and Kevan Watts, vice chairman for global banking of HSBC. (CSL)