Fact Checking the Arab Media

In early May 2022, several media outlets (Gnet News, Akher Akhbar, Tunisie Numérique, Al Chourouk among others) relied on a governmental statement issued on May 7th by Tunisia’s Ministry of Economy and Planning announcing that the country has completed the procedure to become the 90th member of the Asian Investment Infrastructure Bank (AIIB). While the information is correct, a lack of contextual information about the previous steps taken towards membership led to a misinterpretation of the news by some.

Indeed, Al-Chourouk and other online media and influential Facebook pages generally supporting President Kais Saied framed it as a decision to shift to the East. Specifically, on May 13, Al-Chourouk published an article claiming that “After joining the AIIB, Tunisia is heading toward the ‘East’ to get rid of the pressures of the ‘West.’”

However, in reality, Tunisia had decided to join the AIIB in 2018. The decision was announced after a meeting between the AIIB’s President Jin Liqunn and Tunisia’s President at the time, Beji Caid Essebsi. Later, in February 2019, Zied Laadhari, minister of development, investment and international cooperation, submitted an official application to join the bank during his visit to Beijing. The bank’s Board of Governors approved its membership in April 2019, pending the completion of “the required domestic processes and deposit of the first capital installment.” Then, in September 2019, the cabinet of Prime Minister Youssef Chahed approved the draft law allowing the Tunisian government to participate in the organization’s capital. The parliament adopted the law a few months later, shortly after the 2019 elections. While President Kais Saied demarcated himself with rhetoric highly critical of the West, the political actors who initiated the process leading to Tunisia’s membership of the AIIB are widely seen as being closer to Europe and the United States than China.

Fact-Checking Assessment: True But Misleading

Relying solely on Tunisia’s Ministry of Economy and Planning statement published on May 7th, 2022, Al-Chourouk claimed that by joining the Asian Investment Infrastructure Bank (AIIB), Tunisia was shifting away from “the West” and getting closer to “the East.” Popular Facebook pages supportive of President Saied and media outlets circulated similar narratives. In reality, President Kais Saied’s administration has simply followed up on earlier decisions made by pro-Western political actors.