Jin Liqun, the AIIB president, graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University as an English-language major before joining the Ministry of Finance and being sent to the World Bank Group in the 1980s as an alternate executive director for China.
He was appointed vice-minister of finance in 1998 and was named as vice-president of the Asian Development Bank in 2003.
In 2008, he became chairman of the board of supervisors at China Investment Corp, working closely with Lou Jiwei, the current finance minister. The two played a significant role in running the sovereign wealth fund of the world’s second-largest economy with the largest foreign exchange reserves.
Jin became chairman of China International Capital Corp in 2013, entering investment banking and securities.
Fluent in English and French, he is described by his peers as "experienced, savvy and pragmatic". He is also an enthusiast of Chinese classic literature.