India Pushes Trade Route to Europe Despite Gaza War Woes

Plan, seen as parallel to China's Belt and Road Initiative, said to have Trump's nod

- Nirmala Ganapathy

NEW DELHI - India is making every effort to advance an ambitious plan to deepen transportation and economic connectivity with the Middle East and Europe even if the war in Gaza appears to have thrown a spanner in the works.

The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (Imec) has so far received US President Donald Trump's blessings—though it was launched during his predecessor Joe Biden's presidency more than a year ago on the sidelines of the Group of 20 leaders' meeting in New Delhi and a month before the Gaza war started.

This multi-nation geo-economic project is seen as important to India's Global South leadership ambitions and widely viewed as a parallel to China's Belt and Road Initiative.

In the decade or so since Beijing unleashed its Belt and Road initiative, it claims to have invested in more than 100 countries—including those in a corridor that connects China with Europe via Central Asia that used to be part of the ancient Silk Road trading route.

"He (Trump) wants to push this project. He would likely weigh in the China factor, taking in China's growing footprint in the (west Asia) region," said Dr Alvite Ningthoujam, an assistant professor in international studies at a Pune-based private university, Symbiosis International.

Following a February meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Trump called Imec "one of the greatest trade routes in history" and noted that "a lot of money is going to be spent."

The proposed Imec consists of an eastern corridor linking India to the Arabian Gulf and a northern corridor that will connect the Arabian Gulf to Europe.

For Mr Trump, Dr Ningthoujam noted, the range of opportunities for American companies to play a part in developing port and rail infrastructure is a big attraction.