Doval in Saudi to discuss US rail link plan for West Asia

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in news?
• What is I2U2?
• What is China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)?
• News Summary: Doval in Saudi to discuss US rail link plan for West Asia
• Background: Origin of the new initiative
• Key highlights of the meeting
• Why India is keen to participate in the project?

 

Why in news?

• Recently, Saudi Prince and Prime Minister hosted a special meeting of the National Security Advisers (NSAs) of India, the U.S. and the UAE, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
  • This meeting is being billed as another important Quad in West Asia.
• The participating leaders discussed an ambitious infrastructure project that will counter China's efforts to expand its footprint through Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

  

What is I2U2?

• I2U2 is a diplomatic group of the India, Israel, the UAE and the United States.
  • It stands for India-Israel-UAE-USA.
  • US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has used the I2-U2 moniker for the four-member grouping.
• The grouping was launched in October 2021 when the first virtual meeting of the foreign ministers of India, Israel, the US and the UAE took place.
• The new grouping is described as an international forum for economic cooperation.
• This grouping is already being termed as a New Quad’ or the ‘Middle-Eastern Quad’.
• Objective – To generate synergies that go beyond government level cooperation.

 

What is China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)?

• China’s Belt and Road Initiative (also known as One Belt, One Road (OBOR)) envisages the construction of a maze of road, rail and port projects through a number of countries.
• It aims to strengthen Beijing’s economic leadership through a vast program of infrastructure building throughout China’s neighbouring regions.
• This initiative is called “21st century silk road,” and is made up of
  • a belt of overland corridors (also known as silk road economic belt)
  • a maritime road of shipping lanes.

 

News Summary: Doval in Saudi to discuss US rail link plan for West Asia

• Recently, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met his counterparts from the US, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
• The leaders discussed an ambitious proposal to link West Asian countries through rail — using Indian expertise — and connect the region to South Asia via sea lanes.
  • The proposal is being pushed by the White House.

 

Background: Origin of the new initiative

• The new initiative came up during talks that were held over the last 18 months in another forum called I2U2.
• Israel raised the idea of connecting the region through railways during the I2U2 meetings over the last year.
• Part of the idea was to use India’s expertise on such big infrastructure projects.

 

Key highlights of the meeting:

• The participants discussed the broad contours of the massive joint project to build railway, maritime and road connectivity in the larger region.
• This project aims to link the Indian subcontinent in South Asia with West Asia — which the US calls the Middle East.
  • In other words, the project would connect Gulf and Arab countries via a network of railways.
  • This network would also be connected to India via shipping lanes from ports in the region.

 

Why India is keen to participate in the project?

• Presence of China in the West Asian region
  • Beijing has expanded its sphere of political influence in the West Asian region through what Delhi views as mission creep.
    • Mission creep is a term used to describe a situation where a mission or project expands gradually beyond its original goals, often without clear direction or oversight.
  • The breakthrough in ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran had caught India unawares.
    • This breakthrough was mediated by China and it gave Beijing a space in the West Asia region.
• India’s interests in West Asia
  • This project has potential implications for India’s interests in West Asia, which provides energy security.
    • Such connectivity will allow for faster movement of the crude and minimise India’s costs in the long term.
  • The connectivity boost will also help India’s eight million citizens who live and work in the Gulf region.
• India as an infrastructure builder
  • The project will help India build a brand as an infrastructure builder in the railways sector.
  • Boasting a strong rail network at home and buoyed by the success of creating such infrastructure in Sri Lanka, India has the confidence to do it overseas.
  • This will also have the effect of countering the Chinese Belt and Road project, which has burdened many countries in the region with infrastructure that has limited utility.
• India’s connectivity to its western neighbours faces several challenges
  • India feels that India’s connectivity to its western neighbours has been limited for long by Pakistan’s blocking of overland transit routes.
  • So, Delhi wants to use shipping routes to reach West Asian ports.
  • These include Chabahar and Bandar-e-Abbas (Iran), Duqm (Oman), Dubai (UAE), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and Kuwait City.

 

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Q1) What is Middle East?

The Middle East is a term used to refer to a region that encompasses southwestern Asia and parts of North Africa. The term "Middle East" has been used to describe the region since the early 20th century, and its borders are not precisely defined, but generally include countries such as Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, the Palestinian territories, and Yemen, as well as parts of North Africa, including Egypt and Libya.

 

Q2) What is the Gulf region?

The Gulf region is a geographic area located in the Middle East that surrounds the Persian Gulf, a body of water that is bordered by Iran to the north and the Arabian Peninsula to the south. The countries that are considered part of the Gulf region are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

 

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Source: Doval in Saudi to discuss US rail link plan for West Asia | The Hindu | Economic Times