Subhechcha Ganguly 
A representative of the Indian foreign ministry revealed new information on the plan disclosed over the weekend at the G20 summit in Delhi, stating that it will include train connections to India as part of a new ports and railway corridor linking the Middle East and South Asia.Ausaf Sayeed, a secretary in the Foreign Ministry, clarified that the corridor will include trains to India and not just connectivity by port when asked about the proposals.
According to Jake Sullivan, national security adviser to Joe Biden, “We think connectivity from India, through the Middle East, to Europe is extremely important and will bring a significant number of economic benefits, as well as strategic benefits, to all of the countries involved.”
Plans for a comprehensive, international ports and rail arrangement would be announced at a crucial moment. Biden is promoting Washington as an alternative partner for and investor in poor countries at the G20, particularly in the Indo-Pacific area, to counter China’s Belt and Road global infrastructure initiative.
President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, which has funded hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure in developing countries, has drawn criticism from the US in recent years. China has recently improved relations with the Middle East as well; earlier this year, it assisted in mediating a détente between Saudi Arabia and Iran.At a later event in New Delhi, Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al Falih said the corridor would be “the equivalent of the Silk Route and Spice Road,” adding that it would offer “greater energy connectivity, green materials, and processed and finished goods that will rebalance the global trade.”
