In an attempt to parallel the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a China-proposed initiative to enhance global connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes that embodies inclusiveness, openness and shared dividends, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), announced at the Group of 20 (G20) Leaders’ Event on Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment on September 9, lacks the global aura, scale, resources and networks to meet the world’s current and future needs.
Ridden with the spiraling sense of post-Cold War syndrome, bloc politics and divisions, IMEC sounds squeamish. Compared to the multi-faceted, tangible dimensions of the China-proposed initiative, which has been tested and proven with empirical benefits to its signatory countries, the IMEC has yet to get a head start.
