This book assesses the strategic significance of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) by examining the logic of international power and order, historic trends in East Asian international relations, the AIIB's design in comparison to 'rival' financial institutions such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, recent tendencies in Chinese foreign policy, and the Chinese system of political economy. It focuses on how China 'constructs' international arrangements at a critical juncture in history compared to other great powers, especially the United States and Japan. Viewed in isolation, the AIIB does not represent a radical departure from the existing international order; it is a hybrid institution built on China's integration into the West-dominated international structure and conditioned by the global financial market. But the AIIB does draw in part from a different institutional lineage, a different historical root, and a different national system of political economy. In this context, China's greater success will constitute a partial change to the existing international order, whatever the Chinese intention.

The family dog, Mildew retrieved the key to the family secret treasures from a dark scary cave by the gorge. The key had gone missing for almost a century, locking everybody out of the treasure land. Family traditions withered and fell off along the way, leaving cultural beliefs and practices to catch up. Finding no reason to hang on to an empty future, most of the family members moved on to search for green pastures. One man braved the storms by holding on to his birthplace. It was his birthright. His efforts were rewarded in due course. His great great children (a fourth generation from him) had an adventerous spirit that left no stone unturned. Together with their dog, they brought back a wave of hope into the family from one of their excursions. Mildew carried the mystery box right to his master's feet, Mr Kwoyome. That was the opening chapter of the Kwoyome family history. They had found their identity and a reason to live.