Bill Holter – The big story regarding the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank was the application by the Israelis.  This came just prior to the deadline and of course at the displeasure once again to Washington.  Britain was the early defector followed by Germany, France and Italy.  Eyebrows were raised when Saudi Arabia made their announcement but I believe what was truly missed was the application by Taiwan.

If you are old enough to remember, Taiwan was “recognized China” in the eyes of the U.S..  Mainland China was “Red” China and not officially recognized by the U.S., the application by Taiwan slipped by with little to no comment.  I believe Taiwan’s application holds great significance because it means the “elder families” are on board and have given their approval.  This is truly big news yet not even spoken of in the West?  As I understand it, the application must now be approved, a potential sticking point is the name “Taiwan”, this will be very interesting to watch!

Why is the AIIB such a big deal?  There are several reasons but I believe the biggest is because it is a very public piece to the bigger picture.  Not only has the bank attracted the Asian countries one would expect, it has attracted many Western countries and even those closest to the U.S..  Going one step further, ALL of these applications came against U.S. lobbying and were followed by public rebukes from Washington.  This was the first instance where the world collectively (including long time U.S. allies) has expressly denied Washington’s wishes. Continue reading →