Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addresses the 2023 Edition of the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue on the theme ‘Geopolitical Impacts Upon Indo-Pacific Maritime Trade And Connectivity’, in New Delhi, on November 15, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI

The Israel-Gaza conflict is a “worrying manifestation” of geopolitical challenges for the U.S.-backed multinational economic corridor, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Wednesday.

In September, global leaders announced a rail and ports deal linking the Middle East and South Asia, as the U.S. seeks to counter China’s Belt and Road push on global infrastructure with a new economic corridor.

The proposed corridor will pass through Israel, which has been engaged in a fierce conflict with Hamas in the Gaza strip, in retaliation for the militants’ cross-border assault into Israel on October 7.

“It (the corridor) is not without its geopolitical challenges and the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza is a worrying manifestation of these,” Ms. Sitharaman said during a conference.