Canada said Wednesday it will apply for membership to the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to help boost its and global economic growth.
The decision, which will leave Japan and the United States as the only ones among the Group of Seven industrial powers that have not joined the new bank, was announced by Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau in Beijing, according to China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency and other media reports.
The minister was accompanying Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on an official visit to China.
Trudeau earlier in the day told his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang, “I think the strength of this friendship and the potential of this relationship is one that will set a new era for China’s positive and successful engagement in the world for its citizens, but also as a player on the world stage.”
If all goes smoothly, Canada will become the first North American member of the Beijing-headquartered bank, which formally started operations in January this year, with an authorized capital stock of $100 billion and 57 founding members.
For Canada, China is its second largest trading partner.
