Round The World
New Delhi, 17 March 2023
Australian
PM In India
DEEPENING
GEO-POLITICAL TIES
By
Dr. D.K. Giri
(Prof.
International Relations, JIMMC)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony
Albanese was in India on a four-day visit last week. His meetings and exchanges
in Gujarat, Mumbai and Delhi sought to deepen the economic and security ties
between the two countries. The significance of his visit is manifested in his
powerful tweet, “my visit to India reflects my government’s commitment to place
India at the centre of Australia’s approach to India-Pacific and beyond”. No
doubt, the India-Australia bilateralism is currently at its best. Again, this
is strongly endorsed by Albanese, “there has been no point in the histories of
both countries where we have had such strong strategic alignment”.
It is, however, important to
remember that the relations were not so close until recently. India had
under-valued the importance of ties with Australia for her economic interests.
Well, this has been an inexplicably hurtful trend in India’s foreign policy – a
mismatch between economy and diplomacy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited
Australia in 2014 which gave a push to the relations between the two countries.
He was the first Indian Prime Minister to visit after three decades of former
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s visit to Australia in 1986. The neglect of
expanding relations has been corrected.
New Delhi’s warmth and reciprocation to Australia can be seen in the
visit of 10 Union Ministers to Australia in one year i.e. 2022.
Likewise, Australia has also been in
and out of alliances and activities involving India, for instance Quad and
Malabar Exercise. Australian’s stance towards India and others was influenced
by their changing equation with China. That is, however, history. Both
countries now realise the common danger to their interests posed by China who
is challenging the supremacy of United States, the leading ally of Australia.
At the same time, India and the US relations are also improving slowly but
certainly. As their Prime Minister said, “Australians consider India as a
friend”. I had the opportunity of hosting a delegation of Australian
legislators from Albanese’s party, the Labour Party. When I asked the visiting
delegation the prime purpose of their visit, they said, “We are here to make
contacts with our comrades as the relations between two countries at a
governmental level are becoming closer”. The Labour Party was then in
Opposition.
The other variable to factor in is
the slow but certain rise of India as a world economic power. Many observers
and experts predict the inevitable decline of China and rise of India as
economic powers. Given the size of India’s demography and nature of its
economy, politics and society, India is bound to remain a market of millions
and a source of global supply chain. Unlike China, Indians are lot closer to
things they need, not as dependent on the external market as China has been.
Indians can come up with solutions to the problems they face. In a couple of
decades, India will be the biggest population in the age group of 40-65, and
remain so for at 50 least years. That is huge. Australians recognise this.
India is the first stop out of Persian Gulf for any investor and trader. New
Delhi also realises that Australia is now friendlier than it is to China. New
Delhi can rely on food and mineral supplies from resource-rich Australia.
To be specific, as India seeks to
emerge as an alternative supply chain, it can lean on Australia for the
critical minerals essential to produce stuff like mobile phones, flat screen
monitors, wind turbines, solar panels and electric cars etc. Australia is in possession
of rare-earth material which is necessary for producing goods which could not
be done otherwise. While green energy is being developed across the world, the
conventional energies like coal are critical for industrial development. India
faces short supplies of coal which is being procured from Australia. Thus, the
economic complementarities between India and Australia are enormous, in
addition to the natural similarities and synergies in political and social
sector.
Let us scan the present scope of
ties between India and Australia. Albanese suggested in a pre-visit press
conference in Canberra that the bilateralism with India consisted of three sectors
– cultural ties, economic relations and national security. He said, “We are
investing in building capacities and in relationship covering these sectors”.
Albanese added that, his delegation consisting of 34 companies on clean energy
and 27 CEOs, leaders of universities and institutes. This is also reflected in
the sizeable Indian Diaspora in Australia including sixty thousand students by
the end of 2022.
The cultural ties not only relate to
cricket but are sought to be expanded to many other areas. Australia nicely
fits into India’s efforts to modernise its higher education under the New
Education Policy. It has decided to set up two universities in Gujarat’s Gift
City; Deakins University has signed an agreement to set up a physical campus.
Both are members of the Commonwealth, share democratic traditions, the English
language, social-cultural fabric and extended neighbourhood. The economic
exchanges will be mainly on energy sector, particularly the solar.
To boost the economic ties, negotiations
for a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) were initiated in May
2011; nine-rounds had happened until 2016 when they got suspended pending the
outcome of multilateral regional negotiations. In December 2022, an Economic
Cooperation and Trade Agreement was initiated which will lead to the signing of
CECA. Albanese expressed his strong desire to have this agreement signed
covering at least the main principles by the end of the year. This will be the
fulcrum of economic relations.
On security ties, the exchanges have
expanded enormously. Australia has rejoined the Malabar Exercise and will host
it for the first time this year. Remember, Malabar Exercise was initiated
between the navies of India and US in 1992, later joined by Japan and
Australia, increasing inter-operability between the naval forces. Likewise,
India will participate in Talisman Sabre Exercise which began in 2005 between
the Australia and US. Later Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea and
United Kingdom joined it. Also, India and Australia have begun maritime patrol
and aircraft deployment in each other’s territory. In November last year, a
complex exercise called ‘India-Pacific Endeavour and Exercise Austrahind’ has
also taken place. Under the initiative of Prime Minister Modi, the inaugural
Australia-India General Rawat Defence Officers Exchange Programme is currently
taking place in India. This pioneering exchange programme ensures that the
defence personal develop the familiarity and trust that underpins a close and a
long-lasting relationship.
Anthony Albanese’s visit has
demonstrated the willingness of both the countries to continue to come closer.
Both countries tried their best to adjust their policies towards China and seem
to have failed in the face of growing expansionism and belligerence from
Beijing. It is in fitness of things that they lean on each other to counter the
common threat. The growing friendship between India and Australia will do a world
of good to both countries and will contribute to the peace and security in the
India-Pacific and beyond. ---INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature
Alliance)
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