BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 18. The European Union's should leverage Central Asia's aspirations for the Middle Corridor, says Alberto Rizzi, Policy Fellow at the European Council of Foreign Relations, Trend reports.
Speaking on the burgeoning transportation infrastructure, Rizzi highlights its potential geopolitical significance, noting that while competing corridors like the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) could potentially serve China's interests once established, the greatest advantage lies in the influence wielded by its builder.
Rizzi underscores the growing consensus behind the Middle Corridor, with China actively involved, framing it as a geoeconomic game the EU cannot afford to overlook.
Furthermore, advancing the Middle Corridor project aligns with Europe's need to confront the enduring reality of trade with China, which shows no signs of diminishing soon. Rizzi argues that diversifying transport routes via the Middle Corridor could diminish reliance on Beijing for critical technologies without precipitating a decline in overall trade. By bypassing Russia, which shows little prospect of economic re-engagement with Europe post-war, the corridor serves the EU's strategic objectives more effectively than curtailing all trade with China.
In positioning itself as a significant geoeconomic player, the EU has the opportunity to address central Asian concerns over Chinese and Russian influence through enhanced regional connectivity. Rizzi advocates for comprehensive engagement beyond transport infrastructure, suggesting that integrating energy and industrial activities alongside the corridor would provide substantial economic benefits to local economies. Highlighting Europe's allocated 10 billion euros for infrastructure, he stresses the importance of expanding energy partnerships, particularly focusing on renewable potentials in central Asia to reduce dependence on Russian energy, thereby containing Moscow's geopolitical sway.
Moreover, Rizzi suggests that fears of China disproportionately benefiting from European-built infrastructure are overstated, as the corridor is projected to predominantly facilitate intra-regional trade among central Asian countries.
To maximize the Middle Corridor's potential, the expert recommends coupling infrastructural investments with broader economic engagement, enabling corridor countries to participate in European value chains.
This strategic approach, he argues, could transform the Middle Corridor from a conduit for EU-China trade into a risk-mitigating mechanism for Europe by redirecting trade flows from China to central Asian economies.