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NEW DELHI – The United States plans to launch a vast rail and shipping project with partners to facilitate trade from India to Europe via the Middle East, US officials said on Saturday.
The US, India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the European Union plan to adopt a corresponding declaration of intent for the project at the Group of 20 (G20) summit in New Delhi, the White House announced on Saturday, reported German news agency (dpa).
The plan calls for "high quality investments in building sustainable infrastructure" that would fill a global gap and enable greater prosperity and better connectivity for key regions around the world, the White House said in a briefing.
For the Middle East, the project is a great opportunity to play a key role in global trade, digital communications and energy, a US government official said. It is an "ambitious" and "groundbreaking" project.
The White House declined to provide details on the time frame.
The news portal Axios had previously reported that this was one of Washington's "key initiatives" aimed at containing China's influence in the Middle East.
With its "New Silk Road" initiative, Beijing supports infrastructure projects worldwide and has concluded numerous agreements with almost all Arab states.
Africa accepted as permanent G20 member
Meanwhile, the G20 members also agreed today to grant permanent membership to the African Union (AU) in an effort to make the group more representative, reported Xinhua.
The agreement was reached at the inaugural session of the two-day G20 summit held in New Delhi during the weekend.
Amidst applause from other G20 representatives, Azali Assoumani, president of the Union of the Comoros and current AU chairperson, then assumed his seat representing the 55-member-state continental body for the session.
Created in 1999, the G20 is a main forum for international cooperation in the fields of finance and economy. It previously comprised 19 countries plus the European Union (EU).
The AU, whose previous designation was "Invited International Organisation" of the G20, now has the same status as the EU. – Bernama-dpa-Xinhua