□ 文/本刊记者 曾睿
蒲勇健:“亚投行”运行将直接带动重庆国际金融中心建设
□ 文/本刊记者 曾睿
近日,打开电视,浏览各大网络,出现频率最高的词大概就是“亚投行”(亚洲基础设施投资银行)了。作为位于亚洲的多边开发机构,由中国主导的亚投行不仅吸引了20多个亚洲国家加入,也对西方发达国家展现出了巨大魅力。2015年3月12日,英国成为首个申请以创始成员国身份加入亚投行的主要西方国家,3月17日,法国、德国和意大利也发表联合声明,申请加入亚投行。截止4月15日,亚投行创始成员国达到57个。
亚投行的魅力究竟在哪?亚投行对重庆又意味着什么?重庆企业应如何来分析亚投行带来的机遇?近日,本刊记者带着这些问题对我市专家、学者及驻渝领事官员进行了采访,我们来听听他们对亚投行有着怎样的看法与见解吧。
知名经济学家,重庆大学发展研究中心副主任、博士生导师蒲勇健教授,在2013年10月我国最高领导人提出筹建“亚投行”的倡议后,就开始了对于这一问题的关注。他认为,未来“亚投行”正式成立并运行后,将直接带动重庆国际金融中心建设,助推重庆“两翼”产业发展,并有望以“亚投行”区域性执行机构在重庆的落地来提升重庆的国际形象。
蒲勇健认为,“亚投行”作为一家投资银行型金融机构,未来“亚投行”对重庆的开放和外向型经济的影响,最早、最快将会在金融领域体现。他的依据是:按照国家对重庆在“一带一路”战略中赋予的“西部开发开放重要支撑”“内陆开放型经济高地”和长江经济带西部中心枢纽等发展定位要求,结合正在实现品牌化的“渝新欧”中欧班列、长江黄金水道航运优势依旧等因素综合考虑,未来重庆的转口贸易将会非常发达,重庆将大量出现从事国际贸易、境内外项目投资的企业。而无论是贸易还是投资都必然涉及金融结算,尤其是跨境金融业务,重庆也必将从一个区域性金融中心升级为国际金融中心。“亚投行”的机构性质决定其一定会积极地参与其中,从而助推重庆外向型经济的发展,促使重庆更早地迈向国际级金融中心的目标。
近年来,随着重庆对外开放的不断深入,拥有长江三峡和三处世界遗产的重庆吸引了越来越多的境外游客,2014年重庆的入境游客就达到了263.76万人次,在《福布斯》发布的2014年中国大陆旅游业最发达旅游城市中,重庆已位列全国第3位。集中了重庆绝大部分优质旅游资源的“渝东南”“渝东北”(重庆“两翼”)地区已成为重庆旅游的主阵地,重庆市也已提出在“两翼”地区要以做大旅游业来带动其它产业的发展。而交通、接待等基础设施的不完善,正是目前制约重庆“两翼”地区发展的最大因素。鉴于“亚投行”在业务方向上鲜明的“基础设施”特色,蒲勇健教授建议重庆正可借此向“亚投行”申报重庆“渝东南”“渝东北”地区的交通、接待等基础设施项目,进一步完善和加强重庆“两翼”地区的旅游基础设施建设,从而全面带动“两翼”地区以旅游产业为龙头的产业发展。
蒲勇健还认为,重庆应谋求在渝设立“亚投行”区域性分支机构,以提升重庆的国际地位。
Recently, the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is overwhelming among media from TV to Internet. As an institution for multilateral development, the China-led bank has drawn the attention from not only more than 20 Asian countries but also the Western developed world. On this March 12, Britain became the first major Western country to apply for joining the bank as one of the founding members. And on March 17, France, Germany and Italy jointly announced to be parts of the AIIB. As of April 15th, the number of this bank’s founding members will reach 57.
What makes the AIIB so popular? How does it mean to Chongqing? How do the enterprises of Chongqing recognize the opportunities that come with the AIIB? Our reporters interviewed some experts for such questions and now see their thoughts below.
Professor Pu Yongjian, a renowned economist, deputy director of the Development Research Center in Chongqing University and doctoral supervisor, has been long paying attention to this issue as early as in October of 2013 since when the Chinese top leader proposed the establishment of AIIB. He said that after the bank is put into operation, it will directly drive the construction of Chongqing as an international financial center and the industrial development of the Two Wings. There is also a chance for Chongqing to become the home to the AIIB’s regional executive body, which will improve the city’s international image.
As a financial banking institution for investment, Professor Pu added, the AIIB’s influence on Chongqing’s opening-up and export economy will be firstly seen in financial industry. He explained, in the strategy of “One Belt, One Road”, Chongqing is regarded by the Central Government as the “major support to West development and openingup”, “the inland highland of opening-up” and the Western hub for the Yangtze River Economic Belt. And given these settings, combined with the ever more popular Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe Railway and advantage of Yangtze River’s golden watercourse, Chongqing in the future will be very prosperous in entrepot trade, and then a large number of international trade and out-/in-bound investment companies will emerge. And either for trade or for investment, especially for cross-border financial transactions, financial settlement is necessary, and Chongqing will be upgraded from a regional financial center into an international one. The role of the AIIB entails Chongqing’s participation, which will promote the development of Chongqing’s export economy and quicken its pace to be an international financial center.
In recent years, becoming increasingly open, Chongqing, as home to Three Gorges and three world heritages, attracts ever more foreign tourists, whose number reached 2.6376 million in 2014. And it ranked the third in the Forbes list of the most thriving tourist cities in Chinese mainland in 2014. The Two Wings of Chongqing, which refers to Southeast and Northeast Chongqing, has become the pillar of its tourism, and the municipal government also urges to ramp up the Two Wings’ tourism for driving the development of other industries. The incomplete infrastructure in these areas, such as transportation and accommodation, however, is the major hindrance to their development. Considering the feature of AIIB’s business as infrastructure investment, Professor Pu suggested that Chongqing could ride the wave to apply investment from the bank for the infrastructure construction in the Southwest and Northwest areas, which will further improve the touristic infrastructure in the Two Wings, so as to prompt their tourism-led industries.
Pu also regarded that Chongqing should seek to become the home to the AIIB’s regional branches, which will help to raise the international status of the municipality.
Pu Yongjian: AIIB will Directly Drive the Construction of Chongqing as an International Financial Center
□ Written by Zeng Rui