“Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC): a comparative analysis of rising commercial and geopolitical strategies”.

This study aims to analyze and compare two significant logistical-geopolitical initiatives: The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) of the People's Republic of China and the western-driven India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). These initiatives highlight the growing intersection between logistics and geopolitical strategy in the modern conflict for global supremacy. The BRI focuses on expanding terrestrial and maritime infrastructure across Asia, Africa, and Europe, aiming to consolidate China's position in these territories. Concurrently, the IMEC seeks to strengthen economic ties between the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and Europe, offering an alternative to the traditional passage through the Suez Canal. Both initiatives share the goal of extending infrastructure networks to facilitate access to European markets and promote economic development in the involved regions, simultaneously enhancing the influence of their respective superpowers. This work will examine key logistical infrastructures, such as strategic ports, maritime routes, railway connections, and major intermodal hubs along both routes. The analysis will reflect on how the logistical competition between China and the United States not only underscores the strategic importance of logistics in current geopolitical dynamics but also reveals how this rivalry is manifested through competing logistical strategies for global dominance.