NEW DELHI, Sept 9 — The United States plans to launch a vast rail and shipping project with partners to facilitate trade from India to Europe via the Middle East, US officials said on Saturday.
The US, India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the European Union plan to adopt a corresponding declaration of intent for the project at the G20 summit in New Delhi, the White House announced on Saturday, reported German news agency (dpa).
The plan calls for "high quality investments in building sustainable infrastructure" that would fill a global gap and enable greater prosperity and better connectivity for key regions around the world, the White House said in a briefing.
For the Middle East, the project is a great opportunity to play a key role in global trade, digital communications and energy, a US government official said. It is an "ambitious" and "groundbreaking" project.
The White House declined to provide details on the time frame.
The news portal Axios had previously reported that this was one of Washington's "key initiatives" aimed at containing China's influence in the Middle East.
With its "New Silk Road" initiative, Beijing supports infrastructure projects worldwide and has concluded numerous agreements with almost all Arab states.
--Bernama-dpa
