US-based news outlet Axios has reported that the US is in talks with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and India to develop a massive railway project connecting the Arab world to India through shipping lanes.
According to reports, National Security Advisors from these countries held a meeting on Sunday to discuss the joint rail project.
The White House’s move comes amid China’s growing diplomatic and economic influence in the Middle East and Indian subcontinent.
An Indian news agency also confirmed that the country’s National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, held a meeting with his counterparts from the above-mentioned countries in Saudi Arabia.
Last month, China proposed to develop a $58 billion railway network in Pakistan, making it the most expensive project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to date, according to a research paper commissioned by China.
With this mega-project, China hopes to reduce Pakistan’s dependency on Western trade routes. The 1,860-mile rail network, connecting China’s Kashgar to Pakistan’s Gwadar port, has the potential to alter not only trade but also geopolitics.
Analysts from China Railway First Survey and Design Institute Group reviewed the $57.7 billion (400 billion Yuan) project, stating,
The government and financial institutions should provide strong support, increase coordination and collaboration among relevant domestic departments, strive for the injection of support funds, and provide strong policy support and guarantees for the construction of this project.
