Beijing blocks Taiwan from becoming founding member of China-led AIIB
Beijing has turned down the island's bid to join as a founding member, but council says it will continue efforts to join as a regular member
Taiwan said it would try to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as a regular member, after Beijing on Monday turned down its request to become a founding member.
The Mainland Affairs Council of Taiwan said it regretted Beijing's decision, but would continue to communicate with mainland authorities over becoming a full member, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported.
The council said Taiwan would scrutinise the AIIB's regulations to "ensure the protection of Taiwan's rights".
Taiwan made a last-minute application to join the AIIB as a founding member on the deadline day of March 31 under the name of Chinese-Taipei. It had hoped that joining would help its push for regional economic integration and participation in international trade organisations. However, it faced opposition from within the island.
Ma Xiaoguang , a spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing, did not disclose why Taiwan had been rejected, but said that authorities would positively consider its bid to become a regular member.
So far, more than 50 nations, including Britain, have applied to join the bank.
"[I] believe that through practical consultations, [they] will find a way for Taiwan to participate in the AIIB under a proper name," he said.