As US-Iran war chokes Hormuz, can Central Asia’s ‘Middle Corridor’ rise to the rescue?

Also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, the Middle Corridor is a multimodal logistics route that connects China and Europe via Kazakhstan in Central Asia, Azerbaijan and Georgia in the South Caucasus, the Caspian Sea and Turkey.

Waqar Ahmad, president of Kazakhstan’s Nazarbayev University, one of Central Asia’s leading research institutions, said the route’s momentum was being driven by the urgent need for alternatives as traditional maritime paths were disrupted by the Iran conflict.

“The Middle Corridor … is experiencing massive operational momentum,” Ahmad said at a meeting hosted by Hong Kong-based charity GX Foundation on Thursday, citing shipping disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most vital trade and energy chokepoint.

Iran releases video of 2 container ships seized in the Strait of Hormuz

The in-person event in Hong Kong was themed on health collaboration among countries in the Beijing-led Belt and Road Initiative.

Ahmad highlighted the potential for medical and humanitarian uses of the Middle Corridor, which is widely seen as tracing the paths of the ancient Silk Road.

South China Morning Post