On November 10, 2023, the Institute for Global Public Policy (IGPP) hosted the first lecture of the Fudan-Arab Lecture Series. Alvaro Mendez, Professor from the London School of Economics and Political Science and adjunct professor of Fudan University, gave a lecture titled “The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Middle East: Pioneering International Development in the Global South”. The lecture was hosted by Professor Jing Yijia, Dean of the IGPP. Li Yunyong, Assistant professor of IGPP, served as discussant.

Professor Mendez pointed out the differences between the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and other intergovernmental organizations from the perspective of operational logic. The AIIB has distinct uniqueness in terms of its membership recruitment mechanism and founding principles. Through innovative international financing methods, the AIIB has quickly gained prominence and currently has members from 106 countries. Professor Mendez emphasized the important role of the AIIB in promoting socio-economic development in the Middle East. The AIIB has established strong cooperative relationships with Middle Eastern countries, and currently, 12 countries from the region are members of the AIIB. In 2021, the AIIB held its annual meeting in Dubai, demonstrating its commitment to the economic development of the Middle East.

Assistant Professor Li Yunyong gave comments on the lecture and pointed out that the Southern perspective proposed by Professor Mendez has strong inspiration in international business, deepens our understanding of bilateral investments, and provides a new angle for the research on the internationalization process of multinational companies.