Biden plans to build rail, shipping corridor linking India with Middle East and Europe

President Joe Biden and his allies on Saturday announced plans to build a rail and shipping corridor linking India with the Middle East and Europe, an ambitious project aimed at fostering economic growth and political cooperation.

"This is a big deal," said Biden. "This is a really big deal."

The corridor, outlined at the annual Group of 20 summit of the world‍‍`s top economies, would help boost trade, deliver energy resources and improve digital connectivity. It would include India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Israel and the European Union, said Jake Sullivan, Biden‍‍`s national security adviser.

Sullivan said the network reflected Biden‍‍`s vision for "far reaching investments" that come from "effective American leadership" and a willingness to embrace other nations as partners. He said the enhanced infrastructure would boost economic growth, help bring countries in the Middle East together and establish that region as a hub for economic activity instead of as a "source of challenge, conflict or crisis" as it has been in recent history.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other leaders from around the world participated in the announcement.

"Enhancing connectivity with all regions has been a key priority for India," said Modi, speaking through a translator. "We believe that connectivity is a means to not only increase mutual trade between different countries but also increase mutual trust."

The rail and shipping corridor would help physically tie together a vast stretch of the globe, improving digital connectivity and enabling more trade among countries, including with energy products such as hydrogen. Although White House officials did not set a timeline for its completion, the corridor would provide a physical and ideological alternative to China‍‍`s own nation-spanning infrastructure program.

The White House gave no details on the project‍‍`s cost or financing, though Saudi Arabia‍‍`s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman mentioned a figure of $20 billion during the announcement. It was unclear if that sum applied solely to the Saudi commitment.

After the announcement, Biden greeted the crown prince with a hearty handshake, a friendlier exchange than when they last met, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, just over a year ago. At that time, Biden, who had harshly criticized Prince Mohammed over the kingdom‍‍`s human rights record, awkwardly greeted him with a fist bump, a moment roundly criticized by rights activists.

closely ... We‍‍`ll make that case quite forcefully in the context of these conversations."

The summit communique, a joint statement agreed to by all participants, addressed the war, among other issues. It included language underlining the principle that states cannot use force to change borders, disavowed the use of nuclear weapons and called for a just peace based on the principles of the U.N. Charter. The communique also underscored that attacks on civilian infrastructure must end.

During the summit, Biden also discussed his request to Congress for additional funding for the World Bank that could generate more than $25 billion in new lending for economic development.

The White House more broadly is trying to strengthen the G20 as an international forum, while Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin decided not to attend.

Biden has said he was disappointed by Xi‍‍`s decision. Asked again about the Chinese leader‍‍`s absence, Biden said Saturday that the summit "is going well" though "it would be nice to have him here."