While this year’s forum is the first to include civil society talks, NGOs say the China-based multilateral bank did not give them control over the agenda. Doubts have also been cast on the efficacy of AIIB's accountability mechanism for environmental and social issues, which has rejected all five complaints to date.

The region's multilateral development banks and state investment funds appear to be in flux about how money is raised and funnelled towards the energy transition with carbon pricing splitting views.