This talk examines the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s (AIIB) evolving approach to the energy sector and the political dynamics shaping its sustainability agenda. Since its establishment in 2015, the AIIB has sought to position itself as a “lean, clean, and green” multilateral development bank promoting infrastructure-led growth across Asia. Its rapid internationalisation, marked by the accession of numerous European and Western founding members, has profoundly influenced its normative orientation and sectoral strategies. Focusing on the evolution of the Bank’s Energy Sector Strategy, the talk explores how the AIIB balances competing demands between supporting development, ensuring energy security, and aligning with international climate commitments such as the Paris Agreement. The analysis highlights how these internal dynamics have produced an ambitious yet often ambiguous trajectory in the AIIB’s contribution to sustainable energy governance.

Join us as Matteo Cianforlini discusses AIIB's approach to the energy sector and the politics of shaping its sustainability agenda, in conversation with Dr Jan Knoerich, on 9 Dec, 6:30-7:30pm at King’s College London Strand campus.

This is an in-person event. Registration is required. Those without tickets will not be admitted.

About the speakers:

Matteo Cianforlini is a PhD candidate in Political and Social Sciences at the University of Bologna. He holds a B.A. in International and Diplomatic Sciences and an M.A. in International Politics and Economics, both from the University of Bologna. His research examines the evolving landscape of the international development finance regime, with a particular focus on the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the New Development Bank (NDB). His work explores how these institutions shape and challenge existing norms of global financial governance.

Dr Jan Knoerich is Reader in China and the Global Political Economy at the Lau China Institute, King’s College London. His research focuses on the business, political economy and development dimensions of Chinese international investments and financial internationalisation. Dr Knoerich’s work has appeared in leading academic journals, such as New Political Economy, the Journal of World Business and the China Quarterly, and he has written several books and book chapters. His research has received funding support from the British Academy, Leverhulme Trust, the Economic and Social Research Council and other prestigious funding institutions, and Dr Knoerich has been a consultant on foreign direct investment for the United Nations, European Union, governments, think-tanks and the private sector. He was previously a Lecturer at the University of Oxford and spent several years working for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva.   

Please contact lauchina@kcl.ac.uk if you have any questions or specific participatory requirements.