A long, winding and bumpy road to the creation of an alternative "Silk Road"

By Agata Adamczewska

The G20 summit ended on September 10, during which - in the absence of Xi Jinping (and Vladimir Putin) - an international agreement on building an alternative to China's New Silk Road was pushed through.

At the summit of the G20 countries, which has already happened in Delhi on the 9th and 10th of September 2023, despite a power struggle between Western powers on the one hand and China, Russia and their partners on the other, a new US-EU infrastructure project was announced, the aim of which is to create connections - transport, energy and digital -  between India, the Middle East and Europe. The project is a clear response to China's long-standing New Silk Road initiative.

President Biden described the agreement as "historic," noting that the project would connect Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and Jordan. Its aim is not only to build railways and facilitate maritime trade but also to promote exports, clean energy, and create new digital connections. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who also used the adjective "historic" for the project, said it could speed up trade between India and Europe by as much as 40 percent.

The agreement also provides for the creation of a Trans-African Corridor, which will include a railway line between the port of Lobito in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia aimed at strengthening ties with the Global South.

The road to the practical implementation of this project will undoubtedly be long. Still, the political message is in itself important within the competition of various - economic and political - poles in the world. A few weeks after the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) bloc announced its expansion into six new countries, this initiative shows the Western bloc's readiness to counter China in order to strengthen ties with strategic countries in the region. Importantly, some of the leading countries in the BRICS movement - India (as a founding partner) and Saudi Arabia (as a candidate country for accession) will participate in this new project. This shows that transforming BRICS into an alternative forum for the West - as China, Russia, and Iran are striving for - is not easy.

“For India, BRICS is not an anti-Western bloc, but rather a group of emerging economies that seeks to support the causes of the Global South, not promote the strategic goals of China or Russia,” says Samir Sarán, president of the Observer Research Foundation, an Indian research center considered “the most influential in the country.” “It is imperative for India to ensure that a country or countries seeking to employ skewed governance structures do not negatively impact its region and global interests. Given the complexity of the region, it is important for India to keep its options open, as seen in its multi-alliance strategy. Many of India's current economic interests are now aligned with the EU, US, Japan and their allies,” notes Saran.

References

Abril, G. (2023, September 7). The New Silk Road, China’s controversial great strategic plan, turns 10 years old. EL PAÍS English. https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-09-07/the-new-silk-road-chinas-controversial-great-strategic-plan-turns-10-years-old.html

Ashby, H., & Markey, D. (2023, August 30). What BRICS Expansion Means for the Bloc’s Founding Members. United States Institute of Peace. https://www.usip.org/publications/2023/08/what-brics-expansion-means-blocs-founding-members

Shalmani, A. (2023, September 23). Les Brics s’organisent contre les démocraties libérales et nous regardons ailleurs, par Abnousse Shalmani. L’Express. https://www.lexpress.fr/societe/democratie-liberale-soyons-fiers-de-ce-qua-accompli-loccident-par-abnousse-shalmani-WJLSTL7D7VAPTCOURGGCWWSAEQ/