China’s Belt and Road expects no friction with India-led trade corridor

The Belt and Road Initiative, led by China, does not anticipate any conflicts with India's proposed trade corridor, according to the BRI commissioner. India has opposed the BRI due to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which it claims infringes on its sovereignty. However, India has promoted its own trade corridor, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, to serve as an alternative.

BRI commissioner Nicholas Ho expressed his openness to cooperation between the two corridors and their respective leaders, stating that working together does not contradict the Belt and Road Initiative. He emphasized that the BRI envisions a stable, transparent marketplace and an inclusive partnership with potential for broader collaboration.

The BRI, initiated in 2013, has attracted nearly $1.4 trillion in investments and aims to connect Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the South Pacific. In contrast, India's trade corridor, backed by the US and EU, focuses on bypassing the Bab Al Mandeb strait and the Suez Canal, aiming to connect South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

Both corridors present opportunities for collaboration in areas such as energy, climate change, green transformation, and the digital economy. Meanwhile, multilateral platforms like the World Trade Organisation, Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum, and Brics provide various perspectives on regional and global trade, but ultimately, Ho believes that a multilateral form of cooperation based on mutual respect and rules-based multilateralism is the key to success.