Summary

The Seventh Meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee for Establishing the Northeast Asia Bank for Cooperation and Development
Nankai University, Tianjin, China
July 1-2, 2013

On July 1-2, 2013, the Seventh Meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee for Establishing Northeast Asia Bank for the Cooperation and Development (NEABCD) organized by Northeast Asia Economic Forum (NEAEF) was held at Northeast Asia Financial Cooperation Research Center (hereinafter refer to as the Research Center), at Nankai University, Tianjin, China. More than twenty leaders and experts from China, Korea, Japan, and the US attended this meeting. Prior to the meeting, Dr. Jiang Zhenghua, Former Vice Chairman of National People’'s Congress of China and Honorary Chairman of the Research Center, and Mr. Cui Jindu, Executive Vice Mayor of Tianjin Municipal Government and Honorary Chairman of the Research Center met Dr. Lee Jay-Cho, NEAEF and Research Center Chairman and all the foreign participants. The President of Nankai University, Dr. Gong Ke, attended this meeting as well. The meeting was organized by Dr. Lee Jay-Cho and Mr. Wang Shuzu, Former Deputy Chairman of Tianjin People’'s Congress and Deputy Chairman of the Research Center. Mr. Zhang Xiaoyan, Deputy Secretary of Tianjin Municipality and Director of the Research Center, Mr. Zou Ping, the Research Center Secretary General, Prof.
Ma Junlu, Executive Deputy Director of the Research Center, and Dr. Liu Ming, Deputy Secretary of the Research Center all expressed their views on the theme of the meeting. All the participants together discussed the latest developments on the subject of the proposed Northeast Asia Bank, and exchanged their views on new trends, ideas, perspectives and proposals. They agreed on the major issues summarized below.

I. Fully endorse the establishment of Northeast Asia Bank for Cooperation and Development In Dr. Lee Jay-Cho’'s remarks, he stated that at this year’'s summit meeting of Chairman Xi Jinping and President Barack Obama, there was a historic consensus on the need and importance of a mutual and closer relationship between China and the US for the future of the two largest economies of the world. The Assistant Secretary for Asian Affairs of the US state department believes that regional cooperation with Asia is utmost importance in the next ten years, and should be vigorously promoted.
Former Assistant Minister of Finance and Former Executive Vice President of the Asia Development Bank, Dr. Stanley Katz observed that, based on discussions in Washington regarding the BRIC Bank, the proposal lacks basic building blocks and a foundation based on experience and research. However, the US is not opposed to the establishment of the NEABCD. On the proposed Bank, Japan should portray a clearer attitude, China should release a positive massage initially, and then Korea will have a positive response.
The former Japanese Foreign Minister and the Research Center Honorary Chairman, Dr. Taro Nakayama addressed the meeting in a written statement saying that in order to pursue peace and security in Northeast Asia, regional development through economic cooperation should be our goal. If the cross-border gas pipeline from Siberia all the way to China, Busan Korea, and Fukuoka Japan, can be constructed, it can promote mutual understanding among these countries and people, and it might serve to prevent war and strife and build a system of mutual cooperation.
Large-scale cross-border infrastructure requires huge capital and funding. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a regional development bank for Northeast Asia. Dr. Nakayama expressed his willingness to work with meeting participants to realize this vision. Mr. Byungwon Bahk, the former Executive Vice Minister of Planning and Finance and Chairman of the Korean Federation of Banks, pointed out that the ADB only provides 0.9% of its funds to three northeast provinces in China and Mongolia, there still remains a large gap for establishing a Northeast Asian Bank for future dynamic economic development in Northeast Asia. He also stated that China should take the leadership in the Northeast Asian Bank, and persuade Japan, Korea, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries to participate. China, Japan, and Korea already have shown a willingness and ability to cooperate evident in their funding arrangements in ASEAN. Why can’'t these countries cooperate to establish funding arrangements for the Northeast Asia region? Japan and the US will not take the initiative in promoting the establishment of the Bank, but once China proposes doing so, Japan, and the US would not be opposed to it.
The chief representative of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation’'s Beijing office, Mr. Kikuchi on behalf of the Japanese Cabinet Adviser, JBIC Executive Director, Mr. Maeda stated that the opportunity for establishing the Northeast Asia Bank is ripe and Japan through establishment of the Bank would change the its role from simple investor to beneficiary/partner investor.
Dr. Zou Lixing, Deputy Director of China State Development Bank for Research and the Research Center Advisor, emphasized that the Northeast Asia Development Bank is important for regional strategic cooperation. It will promote the development of regional infrastructure, economic development and corporation through trade, financial cooperation, cultural exchanges, etc. The establishment of the NEABCD will become a new driving force of economic development in Northeast Asia and a useful compliment to the existing international multilateral financial institutions.
Mr. Kwan-Yong Park, Former Speaker of the Korea National Assembly of Korea, underscored the great significance in the establishment of a Northeast Asia Bank. He stated his belief that most important is to promote the cooperation and collaboration of all countries involved and his hope that we can work together for a common understanding of our goal.
The Former Vice Chairman of China’'s National People’'s Congress and honorary Chairman of the Research Center, Dr. Jiang Zhenghua stated that, peaceful development and win-win cooperation is not only the world trend, but also China’'s responsibility.
The leaders of China’'s State Council repeatedly instructed the relevant departments to conduct a study on the establishment of the Northeast Asia Bank, stating that we now have a better vision for establishing the Bank. They stressed that we should not limit ourselves to the region of Northeast Asia, but set a wider framework and be more inclusive. We can start from reality, and consider and envision a long-term strategy.
The information, input, and ideas provided by the participants from China, the US, Korea, Japan, and other countries showed that the continued efforts to set up the Northeast Asia Bank rest on a solid social and economic foundation. The meeting concluded that the establishment of the Northeast Asia Bank is currently in a most critical period –. it requires that all the relevant countries bolster their confidence and continue their work.

II. The new connotation and orientation of the Northeast Asia Bank
Liqun Jin, the Chairman of China International Capital Corporation Ltd., Advisor of the Supervision and Guidance Committee of the Northeast Asia Financial Cooperation Research Center, and Former Vice Minister of Finance stated in a written statement that, given Asia’'s economic growth and its energy and infrastructure investment demands, currently available financing channels are inadequate and therefore, innovative financing mechanism are necessary. Asia should establish a multilateral financial institution that would run parallel to the ADB system, and would help meet the need for infrastructure construction and economic development. China needs to further strengthen financial cooperation with Northeast Asia and Asia. The Northeast Asian Bank represents such an innovative financing mechanism.
Zou Ping, Chairman of the China Asia Pacific Institute and Secretary General of the Research Center for Financial Cooperation in Northeast Asia stated that in accordance with the “"open development, cooperative development, and win-win development”" requirements, we should insert the establishment of the Northeast Asian Bank into a broad strategy of innovative mechanisms for investment in and financing infrastructure development in Asia. The Northeast Asian Bank would be open to participation by Northeast Asia and Asian countries with China taking a lead and in Northeast Asia it would principally focus on cross-border infrastructure investments.
Zhang Jianping, Senior Economist and Director of the Department of International Regional Cooperation, Institute for International Economic Research, National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) argued that China, Japan, and South Korea already work together through the China-South Korea FTA and the China-Japan-South Korea FTA negotiations. The regional trade will increase rapidly after the two FTAs are established and they will need the safeguard and guarantee of the Northeast Asian Bank. The establishment of the FTAs and Northeast Asian Bank share some common ground and thereby the establishment of each will contribute to the other.

III. Main consensus and suggestions at the meeting
1. The meeting approved in principle “"The report in 2013 on setting up the Northeast Asia Bank for Cooperation and Development”" drafted by the research center.
After modification and improvements, the report is scheduled to be submitted for discussion at the twenty-second annual Forum Conference in Vladivostok, Russia in August 2013, aimed at obtaining a broader consensus and further extending the international thrust. The Northeast Asia Economic Forum will submit it to the relevant policy institutions of the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean governments at an appropriate time.
2. The meeting endorsed the proposal that the Northeast Asia Bank can be put into an innovative mechanism of investment and financing for developing cross-border infrastructure interconnections. The most important task is to act as soon as possible. The Northeast Asian countries will play the leading role and the participating countries can be expanded to other areas of Asia, including Australia and New Zealand.
3. Expecting China to play an important role in the establishment of the Northeast Asia Bank, we suggest China could initiate the proposal for the establishment of the Northeast Asian Bank initiatively. South Korea will give a positive response and jointly promote the establishment of the Northeast Asia Bank with China as well as leading the way for Japan, Russia, Mongolia, the United States and other Asia countries to participate in it.
4. The Northeast Asia Economic Forum will continue to play a coordinating and catalytic role, by disseminating relevant information and promoting dialogue with policymakers in Northeast Asia. Tianjin Municipal Government, according to the needs of an innovative mechanism for investment and financing Northeast Asian infrastructure interconnections, will pursue further studies and develop strategies for the Northeast Asian Bank taking into consideration any new international circumstances. This will serve as a reference base for policy decisions.
5. It is hoped that the participants will make timely report on the meeting results to the relevant government institutions, in order to obtain the support of central governments. At the same time, we hope each country will encourage their national think-tanks to exert their influence by participating in policy research on the establishment of the Northeast Asian Bank.
The Seventh Meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee finds that, through the exchange of communication, we can further understand what should be done and how, and we can promote mutual understanding to reach a necessary consensus for further achievements. The meeting stressed that the Tianjin Municipal Government has and will play a very important role in the establishment of the Northeast Asian Bank. We expect China to play the leading role in encouraging breakthroughs in financial cooperation in Northeast Asia.