An economic corridor, the Israel link and the geopolitics – India’s Successful G-20 Summit and the Announcement of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor | 25 September 2023 | UPSC Daily Editorial Analysis

Please Share with maximum friends to support the Initiative.





What's the article about?

  • It talks about India's Successful G-20 Summit and the announcement of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor.

Relevance:

  • GS2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and Agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

Context:

  • The 2023 G-20 summit, held under India's presidency, was successful in addressing complex global issues such as climate change, underdevelopment, wealth concentration, poverty, and falling democratic norms and principles of peace.
  • The summit achieved various outcomes, including the inclusion of the African Union in the G-20, a tangible offer of clean energy through a biofuel alliance, increasing substantial aid for Asia-Africa, an economic corridor that connects India, West Asia, and Europe using an ambitious rail and shipping link, and the Delhi Declaration, which was a joint statement of all the group.

Analysis:

  • Delhi Declaration:
    • The joint statement called the Delhi Declaration is newsworthy because of the fractured international order and power struggles between India and the United States with China or the U.S. with Russia.
    • Despite the absence of China’s President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the summit, India still got their agreement for the declaration which sums up the achievement.
    • Substantially speaking, the statement is pareve (the Hebrew word for characterless things; read banal here) as it does not name Russia for aggression against Ukraine; but it does evoke the United Nations charter and principles of territorial sovereignty.
    • An Indian official revealed the recipe for this over-applauded collective statement: “India needed a text that had something for everyone, so that each member can go back with a win.”
  • India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor:
    • The boldest outcome of the summit was the announcement of the economic corridor (the “India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor”), of a rail-ship route, to transport goods to Europe from India via the United Arab Emirates-Saudi Arabia-Jordan-Israel.
    • Such a project will change the geopolitics for the future.
    • The fact that it challenges China’s Belt and Road Initiative is beside the more significant point. U.S. President Joe Biden called it ‘a real big deal’, which is transformative for all those involved and the rest of the world.
    • Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was prompt to show that Israel has been eager to be a part of such a project.

India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor:

  • The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) is a planned economic corridor that aims to foster connectivity and economic integration between Asia, the Persian Gulf, and Europe.
  • The corridor includes a rail link, an electricity cable, a hydrogen pipeline, and a high-speed data cable.
  • The project was signed at the G20 Summit in New Delhi and includes India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the European Union, France, Italy, Germany, and the US[3]. The corridor is expected to stimulate economic development through enhanced connectivity and economic integration across two continents, thus unlocking sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
  • The IMEC is considered to be a counter to China's Belt and Road Initiative.
  • The corridor can facilitate secure energy and resource supplies, especially from the Middle East, which will stabilize India's energy sector and support its growing economy.
  • The corridor can also be strategically leveraged to develop Special Economic Zones (SEZs) along its route, which can attract foreign investment, promote manufacturing, and drive economic growth in these regions.

Way Forward:

  • India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor is a positive step, and it is supposed to bring peace and prosperity in the region.



Please Share with maximum friends to support the Initiative.

Download the Samajho App

Join 5 lakh+ students in downloading PDF Notes for 2000+ Topics relevant for UPSC Civil Services Exam. &nbsp Samajho Android App: https://bit.ly/3H9hva1 Samajho iOS App: https://apple.co/3H8ZJE2 &nbsp Samajho IAS Youtube Channel (300K+ Subscribers): https://www.youtube.com/@SamajhoIAS