Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: WITH global shipping lanes facing rising threats, including Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, escalating instability in Gaza and Lebanon, the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) has become a strategic alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), according to a recent a report in Israel.
Announced during the G20 Summit held under India’s Presidency in 2023, the IMEC is a comprehensive geo-economic blueprint with a goal to reshape the flow of goods, energy, and data between Asia and Europe. IMEC, reported The Jerusalem Post, holds the potential to emerge as a transformative initiative for Israel as it not only increases connectivity but also redefines its strategic relevance between Asia and Europe.
“The IMEC initiative for Israel serves both as an opportunity and a complex set of security challenges. Israel finds itself at the centre of a new geostrategic vision with a goal to redefine trade routes connecting Asia and Europe… With support from India, the US, the Gulf states, the European Union and Israel, IMEC is seen as a Western-led alternative to China’s enhancing sphere of influence. IMEC wants to promote high-speed land-based freight transit, green energy corridors, and next-generation digital connectivity infrastructure,” Lauren Dagan Amos, a member of Forum Dvorah, which promotes women in Israel’s foreign and defence policy community, wrote in opinion piece titled ‘IMEC and Israel: Strategic promise amid regional instability’ in the publication.
