The 55th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) was held on September 29, with the theme of "Positioning Climate Resilient Green Economy for the Post-COVID-19 World". 

 

Ranil Wickremesinghe, President and Finance Minister of Sri Lanka, chaired the meeting as the Chairman of this year's ADB Board of Governors. Governors and representatives of ADB members, and Masatsugu Asakawa, President of the ADB, attended the meeting. Wang Dongwei, Vice-Minister of Finance of China, attended the meeting and delivered a speech via video link. 

 

The attendees were briefed on the ADB's work report, reviewed documents related to the Bank’s operations, and discussed such issues as the ADB's current priority work and future development. 

 

Wang noted that economic recovery in Asia and the Pacific region faces increased instability and uncertainty currently, which poses a challenge to poverty reduction and development. The ADB should uphold the principle of poverty reduction and development, continuously enhance its capital mobilization capability, and improve institutional governance, to make greater contributions to the sustainable economic recovery and common prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region, he said. 

 

The Bank should actively implement its Strategy 2030 to facilitate green, resilient and inclusive recovery in Asia and the Pacific region, Wang said, adding that measures should be taken to deepen regional cooperation and advance regional integrated development. The ADB should also grasp the trend of regional economic development, strengthen cooperation with upper middle-income member countries, and optimize its internal governance to improve its institutional capacity, he said. 

 

Wang stressed that the Global Development Initiative (GDI), put forward by President Xi Jinping, aims to speed up the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and facilitate a stronger, greener and healthier global development. Asia and the Pacific is the world's most dynamic region with promising economic development, said Wang, adding that China will work with all parties and spare no efforts to jointly promote the stable economic recovery and sustainable development of Asia and the Pacific region and across the globe.