Ulas Birkan CakilciIn recent years, Türkiye has pursued a multilateral foreign policy to diversify its development strategies, boost its economic and political influence, integrate into global supply chains, and deepen its Eurasian connections.
The tangible outcomes of these efforts were highlighted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the Global Transportation Corridors Forum in Istanbul.
He shared detailed figures: over $300 billion invested in transportation and communication infrastructure during his administration, including $177 billion for roads and $64 billion for railways, alongside notable investments in air, sea, and digital networks.
According to Erdogan, this investment has generated over $1 trillion in production impact, positioning infrastructure not only as a national priority but as the driving force of Türkiye’s economy.
This commitment is not new. Türkiye’s multi-corridor strategy spans more than a decade.
Freight and trade have traditionally flowed along the East–West axis, but there is now growing momentum on the South–North axis as well.
Türkiye’s current efforts reflect a strategic move to actively participate in this direction, ensuring it is part of the evolving global transportation networks.
Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
One of Türkiye’s most significant steps in this direction was joining China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) shortly after its launch in 2015.
China introduced the BRI in 2013 as a key component of its diplomacy strategy: a comprehensive infrastructure and development solution addressing society’s fundamental disparities of unbalanced and inadequate development.
The BRI’s scale and ambition reflect China’s vision for global cooperation.
From China’s perspective, in today’s interdependent world, states need one another in all areas and cannot resolve development and structural problems alone.
From China’s perspective, in today’s interdependent world, states need one another in all areas and cannot resolve development and structural problems alone.
For this reason, China aims to build a community with a shared future in a multipolar world order, against zero-sum power politics and hegemony, and BRI is a practical initiative to facilitate this goal.
It is a dynamic, inclusive, universal new model that shares the benefits of development with the world and promotes high-quality development by striving for common development and win-win outcomes.
The ultimate objective is a resource-efficient, eco-conscious, and low-carbon Silk Road aligned with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Türkiye shares this vision.
It has common goals for a multipolar order with China and other partner countries, consistent with the Asia Anew initiative it announced in 2019.
As President Erdogan explained: “In other words, our countries taking their rightful place in the world in this century is the ‘Chinese Dream’ for China and the ‘Turkish Dream’ for us Turks.”
The BRI has brought together over 150 countries from various regions, cultures, and development levels, representing three-quarters of the world’s countries, two-thirds of the global population, and half of global GDP.
The cumulative value of imports and exports among BRI partner countries exceeds $19 trillion. In 2024 alone, goods worth over $3 trillion were traded with BRI partners.
Türkiye’s imports from China have significantly increased since the BRI began, reaching $44 billion in 2024. That year, foreign direct investment from China into Türkiye totalled $750 million. Over 1,200 Chinese companies currently operate in Türkiye.
In the last two years alone, Chinese automakers BYD and Chery announced plans to build factories in Manisa and Samsun, each involving $1 billion in investment. Similarly, Ganfeng Lithium Group announced a $500 million joint venture with Yigit Aku.
These developments illustrate how the BRI has accelerated Türkiye-China relations. Based on this momentum, Türkiye has continued investing in the development of the corridor.
For instance, Türkiye has set a target of 6.5 million tons of cargo annually through its infrastructure and capacity upgrades.
Türkiye is expanding its infrastructure for the Middle Corridor, including a planned double-decker rail line over the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and the Halkali-Cerkezkoy-Kapikule line linking it to the EU.
Currently, 395 km of track is under construction at a cost of nearly $9 billion with total investment, including future projects, expected to reach $50 billion.
According to ten-year economic projections, these investments will create an annual average of 144,000 jobs. They are also expected to contribute 15 percent to Türkiye’s exports.
Middle Corridor Initiative
Historically, Türkiye has played a bridge role due to its geostrategic location. However, it refuses to be reduced to this traditional role and now aims to become an investment and logistics hub and a major power in its region.
The Middle Corridor, of which Türkiye is the only NATO member participant, is a strategic route connecting China to Europe via Central Asia and the Caucasus.
The corridor is intended to connect Türkiye by non-stop railway to a total of 21 countries.
Operating for nearly two decades, the Middle Corridor has been a network of overland and maritime routes stretching from China to Europe via Central Asia and the Caucasus.
It offers to cut shipping time, faster than both the Northern Corridor and Indian Ocean routes.
Today, cargo from China takes approximately 35 days to reach Europe via the South Corridor and the Suez Canal. If disrupted (e.g., due to conflict or an accident), ships may be forced to go around the Cape of Good Hope, extending transit time to around 45 days.
In contrast, the Middle Corridor can currently deliver cargo in about 18 days. With ongoing improvements, this could be reduced to 13–15 days. Thus, enhancing and diversifying this route not only reduces political risk but also stabilises trade flows.
Türkiye has embraced the Middle Corridor as a cornerstone of its Central Asia strategy, deepening ties with Turkic-speaking nations and enhancing its geopolitical influence.
Roughly 2,200 kilometres of the Middle Corridor pass through Türkiye, supporting an annual trade volume of $75 billion.
Positioning itself as a key transit hub, Türkiye continues to invest heavily in infrastructure and signed regional agreements to enhance the East-West connectivity.
A key complementary route is the Zangezur Corridor. While there is already a functioning connection via the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars line, Türkiye seeks an alternative route that would increase the resilience and robustness of the Middle Corridor against unseen political and economic crises.
Although the North Corridor currently has a higher transport capacity, Türkiye offers a shorter, more climate-resilient, and lower-risk alternative. It is not attempting to make the North Corridor obsolete, especially considering that over 90 percent of China–Europe trade still moves by sea.
However, land freight is growing by at least three percent annually, and Türkiye aims to leverage that. Long-term, it seeks to shift the primary trade axis from sea to land by 30 percent.
Thus, the Middle Corridor will become more active and more support will be provided for Türkiye's development.
Development Road Project
Recent modelling reveals that the 90-day tariff pause and earlier tariff shock in the US-China trade war could disrupt global ocean freight. Given that most of global trade moves by sea, the Development Road Project emerges as a timely response to strengthen supply chain resilience.
Aligned with the goal of a broader vision of connectivity and reducing transit times is the Development Road project. Scheduled for completion by 2030 with an investment of approximately $15 billion.
Also known as the "dry canal," the route would transport goods from the Grand Faw port in southern Iraq, extending to the northern border with Türkiye. It will connect East Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
The route will transport goods from Iraq’s Grand Faw Port in the south to its northern border with Türkiye, spanning 1,200 km of railway and roads.
It will enter Türkiye at Ovakoy, follow the Sanliurfa–Gaziantep–Adana route, and connect to Kapikule, enabling uninterrupted transportation from the Persian Gulf to Europe by rail and road.
The Turkish segment includes 615 km of railway and 320 km of highway. According to ten-year economic projections, it is expected to create an average of 63,000 jobs annually.
In the longer term, a planned extension would connect the Persian Gulf to the Baltic Sea via the Carpatia highway, passing through Türkiye.
With this project, Türkiye aims to integrate east–west roads with north–south corridors and assume a central role along an axis stretching from the Caucasus to Africa.
Just like the Middle Corridor, the Development Road will be able to cover a wide geography. In this way, development will be supported by industrial facilities, logistics centres and production infrastructures to be established along the route.
It also serves as a strategic hedge against potential risks. Although the Strait of Hormuz was not closed in the recent Iran-Israel conflict, even the possibility of it caused oil prices to fluctuate by up to 15 percent.
This highlights the importance of alternative routes to mitigate risk. A similar disruption occurred when a maritime accident blocked the Suez Canal, demonstrating how fragile supply chains can be.
The Development Road project is intended to integrate seamlessly with the Middle Corridor. Once completed, sea freight from both China and Africa will be able to reach Europe via the southern route in approximately 25 days.
Moreover, it should not only be considered as a flow of movement towards Europe.
The largest oil importer today is China, and the corridor will make it possible to transport the energy there to China as well. Hence, it will reduce risks and dependency for the Gwadar Port.
The Middle Corridor will also benefit from an alternative link to the Mediterranean, beyond the Suez Canal. This integration supports the BRI’s vision of open, inclusive cooperation and offers a practical example of multilateralism in action.
In conclusion, the Development Road project supports not only regional infrastructure but also a multipolar global order.
It offers a complementary and reinforcing route to the Middle Corridor, enhancing the security, speed, and diversity of intercontinental trade.
By promoting development, it contributes to regional peace and prosperity, offering a compelling model for connectivity-driven diplomacy in the 21st century.
