BEIJING, April 1 -- China confirmed the reception of Norway's application to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) on Wednesday.
"We have received the application. The AIIB is an open multilateral institute and welcomes countries in and out of Asia to apply for joining," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing.
Hua made the comments when asked to comment on Norway's confirmation of its intention to join as a prospective founding member.
"Norway is a substantial contributor to global development efforts and wishes to join countries from Asia and other parts of the world in further refining the structure and mission of the AIIB," Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende said in a press release on Tuesday.
Tuesday was the application deadline and the number of founding members will be confirmed on April 15 as some applicants are still undergoing multilateral reviews, Hua said on Tuesday,
She confirmed that 30 nations have been approved as prospective founding members of AIIB by Tuesday.
With an expected initial subscribed capital of 50 billion U.S. dollars, the AIIB will be an international financial institution to fund infrastructure projects in Asia and is expected to be formally established by the end of this year.
Twenty-one countries including China, India and Singapore signed a memorandum of understanding to found the bank in Beijing last October.
J-11 fighters in air exercise
Beauties dancing on the rings
Attendants-to-be join Mr. & Miss Campus Contest
Beijing's toughest anti-smoking law takes effect
Family lives in cave for about 50 years in SW China
PLA soldiers operating vehicle-mounted guns in drill
Blind carpenter in E China's Jiangxi
China hosts overseas disaster relief exercise for the first time
20 pairs of twins who will become flight attendants in Sichuan
Obama is sowing discontent in S.China Sea
Rescuers work through night to reach cruise ship survivors
Driving through limbo
Facing down MERSDay|Week
