India, Middle East, and Europe Join Forces to Create Economic Corridor as a Countermeasure against China’s ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative

During the recent G20 summit in New Delhi, the establishment of the ‘India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor’ was announced as a counter to China’s Belt and Road infrastructure project (BRI). The multinational rail and ports project aims to connect India with the Middle East and Europe and has received support from India, the United States, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The project consists of two corridors, an eastern corridor linking India and the Arabian Gulf, and a northern corridor connecting the Arabian Gulf and Europe. Its goal is to provide a reliable and cost-effective ship-rail network, while also countering the criticism of China’s BRI for creating debt traps and exerting political influence. The corridor will transport goods from India to the UAE’s east coast, then by rail to the Israeli port of Haifa before being shipped to Europe. The full completion of the corridor, except for a small section of railway in Saudi Arabia, is expected in the near future. If approved by Burma’s military government, the corridor could potentially extend to countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Burma (Myanmar), and Bangladesh. The establishment of the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor project (IMEC) marks the return of the United States to the Middle East and aims to provide a direct connection between India, the Arabian Gulf, and Europe. It would make trade between India and Europe 40 percent faster.



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