Australia Is An Important Security And Stability Partner For India In The Indo-Pacific

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Australia is a crucial ally for India in terms of maintaining security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. By cooperating, the two countries ensure that this region is free, open, peaceful, and affluent. Jaishankar, who is on a two-day visit to Australia, mentioned in his presentation to the Indian community that he spent time with the Australian military while there.

“In terms of maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, they are a crucial ally for us now. In reality, the biggest difference in our relationship is the fact that we both now participate in the Quad mechanism and cooperate in a variety of ways to maintain this region’s freedom, openness, stability, and prosperity “On Tuesday, Jaishankar remarked.

“Even in the last year, I was able to observe how far we have come in the last few weeks. India’s military has taken part in two significant drills that have taken place in Australia “He said.

“something which is today a significant aspect in the relationship” is perception, significance of each nation to the other, and the two countries’ shared capacity to contribute to the advancement of the area.

Chinese influence

In light of China’s expanding military manoeuvres in the area, the US, India, and a number of other world powers have been discussing the necessity to guarantee a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam all have territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea, but China claims almost all of it. In the South China Sea, Beijing has erected military outposts and artificial islands.

Now, I want to give you the impression that two nations have, in many respects, realised the immense potential of their relationships and have begun to take those relationships seriously, Jaishankar added. He also discussed the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement between India and Australia.

I’m delighted to inform you that the ECTA ratification procedure is actually under progress, he remarked. By the end of this year or the beginning of the following, the minister added, “We are very sure that we would truly be in a position to put in place a new economic framework, which will allow the full possibilities of our organisation to blossom.”

He expressed his genuine excitement for the tremendous opportunities presented by the bilateral relationships, particularly in the field of education. “As a centre of education, Australia has gained recognition on a global scale. Many Indian students come here, and we think that today’s educational opportunities may truly help the Australia-India relationship develop in a more profound way “said he.

“And the reason I say that is that our educational policy has undergone some significant changes in India. that India is actually looking to increase international cooperation now for a number of reasons. And we want that for our pupils because we want them to be more capable. We want the world to be better understood by our kids. Additionally, we seek to educate our students for a global workforce. The time when our nations primarily taught in their own territories is no longer with us “added Jaishankar.

Working with Australian industry

Jaishankar met with Jason Clare, the education minister, Penny Wong, the foreign minister, and Richard Marles, the minister of defence for Australia. Jaishankar also indicated a desire to collaborate with the Australian business community to explore if there is potential for the two countries to forge closer ties in the field of mining, particularly of vital minerals.

“This is a world of semiconductors once more. Everyone is aware of the significance of vital minerals “explained he. He added that the two nations are also considering clean energy.

“The transition to cleaner and greener energy needs to happen faster, if there is one thing we can learn from the energy crisis that we are all currently experiencing in the wake of the conflict in Ukraine. And Australia has the kind of economy that, in some ways, could be a leader in those areas. Therefore, we see a lot of potential for Australia in this area as well “he stated.

He claimed that things had been fair on the business front. “Over $27 billion worth of transactions was conducted by us in the most recent year. There has been a big surge. But once more, it’s not a level with which we are happy. We have a great deal of confidence that we can expand this, especially once ECTA and the tax avoidance reforms go into effect “added he.