The longest bridge over the Brahmaputra, which has been cleared for construction, will become the lynchpin of a giant trans-Asian corridor that will connect landlocked Bhutan and Northeast India, with Dan Nang in Vietnam. The giant project showcases the growing strategic partnership between India and Japan, balancing China’s inroads in the region. The ambitious undertaking will also impact several ASEAN countries, especially Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.
With Bhutan at the back-end, the 19-kilometre Dhubri-Phulbari bridge connects Dhubri in Assam with Phulbari in Meghalaya. The flagship project, acquired sharp focus, after a 2018 agreement between India and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), for the infrastructure development of the north-east.
The gigantic effort will merge two parallel initiatives – the New Delhi-led India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway and the East-West, Economic Corridor (EWEC) marshalled by Japan in partnership with Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. The joint foray is a fusion of India’s ‘Act East’ policy and Japan’s ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ strategy.