European appeal

Trade and investment opportunities in China and other developing Asian nations have attracted European countries to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, according to insiders.

Experts also predict that the involvement of European countries will help the AIIB to meet high standards in governance and transparent lending.

"The global economy is increasingly driven by the East," said Danny Quah, director of the London School of Economics and Political Science's Southeast Asia Centre. "During the global financial crisis, many Western observers were surprised by how strongly China and Asia continued to grow.