India-Europe trade corridor gets Trump’s backing, but can IMEC survive war?
Por Junaid Kathju — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement India This Week in Asia Politics India-Europe trade corridor gets Trump’s backing, but can IMEC survive war?
Pitched as a rival to China’s Belt and Road, IMEC must bypass vulnerable Gulf chokepoints if it is ever to become operational, analysts say
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Junaid Kathju Published: 7:01pm, 29 Sep 2026 Updated: 7:07pm, 29 Sep 2026 US President Donald Trump ’s recent endorsement of a trade corridor connecting India to Europe via the Middle East has renewed focus on the three-year-old project, but analysts warn it must expand to withstand ongoing geopolitical conflicts. The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) was first unveiled at the G20 summit in 2023 as an alternative to existing routes and China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Backed by India, the United States , Saudi Arabia , the United Arab Emirates , Israel and the European Union, the project envisages combining shipping lanes, railways, energy pipelines and data cables into one corridor that is still largely a work in progress.
Though some existing infrastructure can handle parts of the proposed route, key rail links, ports and other connections are still being developed.
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