teqniq
DisMembered
I think he's done a sterling job already.
but....
Danny Alexander, the former Treasury minister appointed vice-president of a Chinese-led Asian investment bank, has dismissed criticisms that he is not qualified to do the job.
Sir Danny, who has been taking Mandarin lessons ahead of his posting to Beijing, said that similar criticisms were made of him before he became Treasury chief secretary in the coalition government.
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“Over five years we put the economy back on track and provided solid foundations for this Conservative government,” he said with heavy irony. “I’m very proud of what we achieved but sorry I lost my seat.”
Mr Osborne also felt sorry for his deputy and rewarded him by nominating him as one of five vice-presidents of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, even though the job description required lengthy experience in international finance.
Officials in Beijing close to the nomination process also criticised Mr Osborne’s nomination, saying they would have preferred a leading financier to a professional politician.
But Sir Danny said his role would involve ensuring strong communications between the Beijing-based bank and its 57 founding members — including Britain, France and Germany — over its plans and operations.
“We have to make sure they are fully engaged and that we proceed together,” he said, in a tacit acknowledgment there could be teething problems as the Chinese-led equivalent of the World Bank takes the stage.
I’m looking forward to getting to know China and getting to know people in Beijing. I want to understand more about how the system works
- Sir Danny Alexander
He said it was “the right initiative at the right time” and the AIIB would help to fund infrastructure in Asia that would help to sustain growth and help to reduce carbon emissions.
He said that as a Liberal he was a big supporter of multilateral organisations, but he did not seem to recognise the apparent problem of working in Beijing for a bank backed by a Chinese government with an illiberal view of human rights.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know China and getting to know people in Beijing,” he said. “I want to understand more about how the system works.
“The job I’m doing is with the AIIB and I very much applaud the Chinese government initiative in setting it up. It’s a great opportunity for more co-operation across Asia.”
Sir Danny said he and Mr Osborne agreed in 2015 that it would be right for Britain to be a founding member of the bank, in spite of the opprobrium of the White House. One US official bemoaned Britain’s “constant accommodation” of China.
Asked whether the AIIB job was payback time after being Mr Osborne’s sidekick during the coalition government, Sir Danny said: “We worked very closely and effectively over five years. He knows me and what I can do. But my skills and experience are what’s important.”
Although the 43-year-old said he was making “slow but steady progress” in learning Mandarin, the working language of the bank will be English.
He is on a three-year contract but says he has no immediate plans to return to British politics to help his ailing party ahead of the 2020 general election. “My life has taken a different turn now,” he said.
Sir Danny, who has been taking Mandarin lessons ahead of his posting to Beijing, said that similar criticisms were made of him before he became Treasury chief secretary in the coalition government.
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“Over five years we put the economy back on track and provided solid foundations for this Conservative government,” he said with heavy irony. “I’m very proud of what we achieved but sorry I lost my seat.”
Mr Osborne also felt sorry for his deputy and rewarded him by nominating him as one of five vice-presidents of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, even though the job description required lengthy experience in international finance.
Officials in Beijing close to the nomination process also criticised Mr Osborne’s nomination, saying they would have preferred a leading financier to a professional politician.
But Sir Danny said his role would involve ensuring strong communications between the Beijing-based bank and its 57 founding members — including Britain, France and Germany — over its plans and operations.
“We have to make sure they are fully engaged and that we proceed together,” he said, in a tacit acknowledgment there could be teething problems as the Chinese-led equivalent of the World Bank takes the stage.
I’m looking forward to getting to know China and getting to know people in Beijing. I want to understand more about how the system works
- Sir Danny Alexander
He said it was “the right initiative at the right time” and the AIIB would help to fund infrastructure in Asia that would help to sustain growth and help to reduce carbon emissions.
He said that as a Liberal he was a big supporter of multilateral organisations, but he did not seem to recognise the apparent problem of working in Beijing for a bank backed by a Chinese government with an illiberal view of human rights.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know China and getting to know people in Beijing,” he said. “I want to understand more about how the system works.
“The job I’m doing is with the AIIB and I very much applaud the Chinese government initiative in setting it up. It’s a great opportunity for more co-operation across Asia.”
Sir Danny said he and Mr Osborne agreed in 2015 that it would be right for Britain to be a founding member of the bank, in spite of the opprobrium of the White House. One US official bemoaned Britain’s “constant accommodation” of China.
Asked whether the AIIB job was payback time after being Mr Osborne’s sidekick during the coalition government, Sir Danny said: “We worked very closely and effectively over five years. He knows me and what I can do. But my skills and experience are what’s important.”
Although the 43-year-old said he was making “slow but steady progress” in learning Mandarin, the working language of the bank will be English.
He is on a three-year contract but says he has no immediate plans to return to British politics to help his ailing party ahead of the 2020 general election. “My life has taken a different turn now,” he said.
