MOSCOW (Sputnik) — China may not allow Taiwan to join the Beijing-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the country's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a briefing Tuesday.
According to the media outlet, Beijing frequently affirms the importance of its "one China" policy and cuts short Taiwanese involvement in international deals, as it considers the island to be a territory-in-waiting for reunification.
Earlier in the day, Taiwanese presidential spokesman Charles I-hsin Chen expressed Taipei's desire to join the bank.
The new regional bank has raised concern in Washington as a potential competitor of Western-led financial institutions. As many as 45 states made applications for membership. Norway, Russia and Spain are among the countries who applied to join the bank, while the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Germany, among others, have already joined the organization.
Earlier Tuesday, China reportedly rejected North Korea's application.
