In an ambitious project aimed at promoting economic growth and political collaboration, President Joe Biden and his supporters announced plans to establish a rail and maritime corridor connecting India with the Middle East and Europe on Saturday.
Biden stated, “This is a significant thing. This is a really important matter.
The corridor would assist in increasing trade, distributing energy resources, and improving digital connectivity. It was announced at the yearly Group of 20 summits of the leading economies in the world. According to Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, it would consist of India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Israel, and the European Union.
Sullivan claimed that Biden’s vision for “far-reaching investments” that result from “effective American leadership” and a readiness to accept other countries as partners was represented in the network. A hub for economic activity would be established in the Middle East as a result of the improved infrastructure, rather than serving as a “source of challenge, conflict, or crisis” as it has in the past.
At the event, world leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, took part.
India has made improving communication with all regions a top priority, said Modi, speaking through a translator. “We believe that connectivity is a means to not only increase mutual trade between different countries, but also increase mutual trust.”
The rail and maritime routes would aid in physically connecting a sizable portion of the world, enhancing digital connections, and facilitating more international trade, particularly that of energy items like hydrogen. The corridor would offer a physical and ideological alternative to China’s own nation-spanning infrastructure program, though White House officials did not specify a completion date.
Although Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman suggested a value of $20 billion during the announcement, the White House provided no information on the project’s cost or financing. If just the Saudi obligation was covered by that amount was not clear.
Biden gave the crown prince a warm handshake after the announcement, striking up a friendlier conversation than when they had previously met in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, just over a year earlier. At that time Biden uncomfortably greeted Prince Mohammed with a fist bump, a move that was roundly criticized by rights campaigners after he had sharply criticized the prince over the kingdom’s record on human rights.
The project, according to von der Leyen, is a “green and digital bridge across continents and civilizations.” She continued by saying that wires are used to transfer data and electricity.
She also unveiled a “Trans-African Corridor” that would link Zambia’s copper-mining districts with the Kananga province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the port city of Lobito in Angola.
Biden described the African initiative as a “game-changing regional investment” and noted that “both of these are huge, huge steps forward.”
Amos Hochstein, Biden’s coordinator for energy and global infrastructure security, outlined a general schedule for the project over the course of the following year.
Working groups will develop a more detailed plan and establish deadlines over the following 60 days. Finding the regions that require investment and where physical infrastructure may be connected between nations will be the initial stage of the process. According to Hochstein, the designs can be implemented throughout the course of the upcoming year, allowing the project to move on to establishing funding and construction.
After Biden’s July 2022 trip to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, when he emphasized the need for deeper regional economic cooperation, according to Sullivan, the proposal began to take shape.
The White House began talking about the idea with regional partners in January. By spring, assessments of the Middle East’s current rail infrastructure had been mapped out and documented. In May, Sullivan and top White House advisers Hochstein and Brett McGurk traveled to Saudi Arabia to meet with their counterparts from India, the UAE, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Since then efforts have been made by all parties to complete the agreement’s specifics.
Israel and Jordan were also included in the initiative by the partners. Although the White House has been urging them to normalize relations, Saudi Arabia and Israel do not have diplomatic relations.
Sullivan claimed that while the transportation initiative is not considered a “precursor” to a prospective normalization agreement, Israel’s participation is nonetheless “significant.”
“The participants in this effort are focused on practical outcomes that deliver for their people,” stated Sullivan. A corridor of this nature benefits from having Israel in rather than out due to geography, thus the member nations gave that priority.
On Saturday, Biden attended both G20 meetings. He emphasized his desire to advocate for further climate change investments, including his own domestic initiatives to promote the use of renewable energy. He further noted that many other countries are suffering as a result of Russia’s conflict in Ukraine, having to deal with higher expenses for food and energy as well as higher interest rates on their debt.
Since Russia invaded his nation more than 18 months ago, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has been a regular participant at international summits, including last year’s G20 in Indonesia. However, Modi’s administration did not extend an invitation to him to attend this year’s meeting.
Zelensky has argued for sustained financial and military backing for his nation at high-profile events. One of the most notable American friends that have mostly avoided the conflict is India, which has even significantly expanded its purchases of Russian oil.
White House principal deputy national security adviser Jon Finer claimed that Zelensky’s attendance at the conference was sought after by the administration.
Finer stated, “In the end, it is not our decision.” But given how closely we’re working with Ukraine, you can anticipate that the United States and our other partners will… In the framework of these dialogues, we’ll argue that point very vehemently.
The summit communiqué, a consensus document adopted by all parties, included a discussion of the conflict among other topics. It contained wording rejecting the use of nuclear weapons and calling for a just peace based on the principles of the United Nations Charter, as well as underscoring the idea that states cannot change their borders via force. The statement also emphasized the need to stop attacks on civilian infrastructure.
At the conference, Biden also spoke about his proposal to Congress for increased money for the World Bank, which may result in over $25 billion in new loans for economic growth.
While Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin choose not to participate, the White House is working to strengthen the G20 as an international platform.
Biden has expressed his disappointment with Xi’s choice. When questioned once more on Saturday about the absence of the Chinese leader, Biden responded that the meeting “is going well” but added that “it would be nice to have him here.”
