Is the US President about to announce a project to counter Mr. Tap's initiative?

US President Joe Biden and the leaders of India, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are heading to the G20 summit in New Delhi this weekend hoping to announce an agreement on a massive infrastructure project that will restructure trade between the Gulf and South Asia.

The project aims to connect the Arab states of the Levant and the Gulf through a rail network, and to India through shipping routes from ports in the region.

The above information was first published by Axios (USA) on September 7. According to Axios's informed sources, this joint infrastructure project is expected to be one of the important issues that Mr. Biden wants to present at the G20 Summit taking place in India on September 9-10.

The project is one of several key initiatives the White House is pushing in the Middle East as China's influence in the region grows.

World - Is the US President about to announce a project to counter Mr. Tap's initiative? — US President Joe Biden boards Air Force One on September 7, 2023, to depart for New Delhi, India, to attend the G20 Summit, an event that Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend. Photo: The National News

The Middle East is a key part of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is funding hundreds of billions of dollars in infrastructure in emerging markets. In March, Beijing brokered a deal to normalize relations between rival regional powers Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The massive US-led infrastructure project comes as the Biden administration seeks a broader diplomatic arrangement in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel. Once relations between the leading Arab kingdom and Israel are smoothed, the Jewish state could also join the rail project and expand its access to Europe through its ports.

Beyond the diplomatic implications, US officials interviewed by Reuters said they hope such an infrastructure deal could help reduce shipping times and costs, making trade faster and cheaper.

The White House declined to comment, Axios reported, noting that in a statement before Mr. Biden left for India, officials said the US president would participate in the “Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment” event on September 9.

A US official involved in the talks said the talks were still ongoing, and may or may not yield concrete results in time for an announcement on the sidelines of the G20 summit in India.

The Indian and Saudi embassies in Washington did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment. UAE officials declined to comment .

Minh Duc (According to Axios, Reuters)

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