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Modi’s visit to Australia is pivotal. It’s a sign of cooperation over competition

Modi's visit comes in the backdrop of Australia-China relations thawing with trade ministers from both countries meeting in February.

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The continuation of the Russia-Ukraine war has been a reminder of the fragility that exists in the world order. Unfortunately, we see a similar fragility playing out in the Indo-Pacific region, where Chinese aggression is impacting the littoral nations in the South China Sea as well as the Indian Ocean. For some time there has been a need for the world’s democracies to come together on a common platform to create conditions which obviate the need for war to settle disputes.

The fast-developing India-Australia relationship has been one of positive transformation in response to common challenges faced by the region. The relationship has, in the recent past, been revived to hitherto unknown heights including with a historic free trade agreement as part of the Quad format with the US and Japan. But what is less discussed is that India’s upwardly mobile ties with Australia are becoming the country’s gateway to a rejuvenated diplomatic push in the whole of the Pacific. Australia is the pivot to India’s move in the Pacific to counter Chinese interests.

The two countries are fine examples of important liberal democracies that are shaping the future of the region, based on their shared values for the rules-based international order and a free and open Indo-Pacific. The relationship has gone from strength to strength since the Modi government came to power in 2014. The Prime Minister is on his second official visit to the country now. In his first visit, he had said that “Australia will not be in the periphery of our vision, but at the centre of our thoughts.”


Also Read: Indo-Pacific strategy bound to fail, says Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in 1st press meet


Backdrop of China

The bilateral meeting comes even as the Quad leaders’ summit has been cancelled. PM Modi’s visit to Australia has sent a strong message to counter China’s growing influence. To this end, PM Modi has even hinted at a “Look Pacific” policy reiterating the centrality of the India-Australia partnership in the Indo-Pacific.

However, it is interesting to note that this meeting comes in the backdrop of Australia-China relations thawing with trade ministers from both countries meeting in February 2023. Their relationship hit a roadblock in 2018 when Australia barred Chinese telecommunications company Huawei from building its 5G network. It was further damaged in 2020 when then Australian PM Scott Morrison called for an independent assessment of the origins of the Wuhan virus to which Beijing reacted very strongly with the threat of “economic coercion”.

It is apparent that China’s interests are pursued through the creation of economic pathways and India is perhaps the only country in a position to counter China’s economic movements not just in the smaller littoral states in the Indo-Pacific but also in Australia. India offers the balance that could crucially aid in maintaining a free and open region with Australia providing a dependable partnership.

After China’s April 2022 agreement with the Solomon Islands that would potentially establish a Chinese military presence in the region, PM Modi’s visit to Papua New Guinea is yet another step towards cementing relationships in the region. The move is likely to be welcomed by Australia. In 2018, Beijing offered to develop Papua New Guinea’s Lombrum naval base on Manus Island however the contract was awarded to Australia.


Also Read: Clean energy, no to ‘debt burdens’ & more: Quad leaders set out priorities in joint statement


Previous record of cooperation

India and Australia have also previously cooperated through the pandemic, Australia recognised the Indian-manufactured Covishield as well as the indigenous Covaxin. Tourism since then has also picked up — India is one of Australia’s top five markets and Indian arrivals to the island nation have been the quickest to recover to pre–Covid levels.

The Economic Cooperation and Trade Deal (ECTA) that was signed in April last year between the two countries is also a historic one. It is the first such trade deal for India in over a decade after the one with Japan in 2011. It aims at doubling the trade between the two countries in the next five years by providing supply chain support for critical minerals from Australia to India. In March 2022, India’s KABIL and Australia’s Critical Minerals Facilitation Office signed an MoU for cooperation in the field of mining and processing of Critical and Strategic Minerals. The bilateral meeting may fast-track this agenda in order to decrease dependency on China for critical minerals.

For India, securing a sustainable critical minerals supply chain is also a step towards its goal of becoming a renewable energy superpower. ECTA will also open up vast possibilities in the areas of pharmaceuticals and medicines from India to Australia.

Further, in the field of education, mutual recognition of degrees and qualifications promise to be transformational for the bilateral relationship. After all, Indians are the second largest migrant group in Australia and one of the top sources of skilled immigrants. The trade deal will also aid mobility, where there will be a legal framework for Indians who have the skills and talents that are in demand in Australia to move from one country to another.


Also Read: PM Modi, G7 & Quad outline strong stance against China. Beijing lodges ‘stern representations’


Diplomatic communication

Though the bilateral meeting has many points of discussion for further strengthening the partnership, there would also be some difficult conversations. The issue of visa delays and student mobility with almost 70,000 Indian students in Australia, the issue of the vandalisation of Indian Consulates and temples such as the BAPS Swaminarayan temple, the rise of radical anti-India elements, hate crimes against Indians would all be topics of concern.

However, it must be said that immediately after PM Albanese’s visit to India in March 2023 where he met PM Modi, photographs of the Australian Khalistani perpetrators who burnt the Indian flag were released to the public.

It is through such swift responses to mutual concerns and open channels of diplomatic communication that both India and Australia can serve as positive examples for the rest of the world. The importance of the bilateral meeting between the two countries irrespective of the cancellation of the Quad leaders’ summit signifies the priority that is accorded to this partnership. Through such strong messaging and continued engagement India and Australia can play a pivotal role in ushering in the idea of this being the age of cooperation and not competition, especially when the stakes are high.

Rami Niranjan Desai is consulting editor of Global Order, and Distinguished Fellow, India Foundation, New Delhi

(Edited by Theres Sudeep)

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