India and Australia Joining Forces within the Quad

Within the Quad, Australia and India are becoming more linked, and their bilateral agreements were a highlight on the fringes of the Melbourne meeting. Last week's hosting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue's (Quad) first meeting of the year in Melbourne was a triumph for Australia, but it also gave an important chance to improve Australia's burgeoning bilateral relationship with India.

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Indeed, the discussion indicated that Australia and India share similar views on the Quad's purpose — an informal grouping that includes the United States, Japan, India, and Australia. Unlike US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who pushed for addressing the implications of the oncoming Ukraine crisis in the Indo-Pacific at the beginning of the conference, Australia and India preferred to focus on what the Quad is for – rather than what the Quad is against, whether it is Russia or China.

Minister Payne responded that the Quad has a positive agenda and that "we are not against anything; we're about building, about building confidence and resilience" when asked about comments made by China's Foreign Ministry, which suggested that Mr Blinken's comments sought to "discredit, suppress, and contain China's development."

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Similarly, visiting Minister of External Affairs, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, whether discussions on countering China will be a priority of Melbourne's Quad conference last week at an event organized by the Australia India Institute (AII).

"I believe you do the Quad an injustice by claiming that the focus will be on opposing China," he answered.

"The Quad is about the entire globe, and I don't want it to be limited to China."

Australia and India approached the Quad summit with a similar strategy of building toward rather than containing the debate, and their shared viewpoints, values, and interests resulted in positive outcomes in the bilateral relationship. Over the last decade, the trend toward tighter ties between Australia and India has accelerated, owing to a variety of geopolitical and economic factors.

While the four foreign ministers clearly came to the Quad meeting with their own goals, the sideline bilateral discussions between Australia and India, as well as their following announcements, were the highlight of the week. Foreign Minister Marise Payne of Australia and Minister Jaishankar of India jointly unveiled high-level efforts during a joint news conference, building on previous commitments made under the Australia-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The new Maitri series of initiatives to help boost education and cultural ties between Australia and India included $A11.2 million for the Maitri Scholars Program to encourage Indian students to study at Australian universities, $A3.5 million for the Maitri Fellowships Program to build links between future leaders, and $A6.1 million for the Maitri cultural partnerships to support cultural exchanges and the role of creative industries in both countries.

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Minister Jaishankar stated at an AII session at the University of Melbourne that expanding education and strengthening relationships with India was the way to truly alter the bilateral relationship.

"At the end of the day, country-to-country connections are people-to-people interactions," he told the gathering. "So when I see a university like yours with so many ties to Indian institutions, I see it as part of the change that is taking place, and I would certainly hope that in the coming years, we see much stronger bonds and much broader engagement, as all parts of society must move if the relationship is to change."

Of course, tourism is linked to international student mobility, and both nations have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding to boost travel between the two markets and expand collaboration on tourist policy, data exchange, training, and industry involvement.

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Prior to the COVID-19 epidemic, India was Australia's fastest-growing source of overseas visitors, with about 400,000 Indian tourists visiting the country in 2019 and spending $A1.8 billion. Qantas, an Australian airline, has reacted with direct flights not only to Delhi but also to Bengaluru, India's technological hub.

Both nations also agreed to expand on their current Joint Declaration on a Shared Vision for Indo-Pacific Maritime Cooperation, with Australia increasing its participation in the North East Indian Ocean.

Australia stated that it will invest $A36.5 million in the North East Indian Ocean to strengthen its involvement by investing in marine and disaster preparedness, as well as promoting trade, investment, and connectivity prospects in the region.

Australian Super Funds will undoubtedly be pleased with the formation of an Australia-India Infrastructure Forum. Its goal is to combine Australian financing with India's massive infrastructure prospects by organizing seminars and doing research to help firms succeed. In addition, on the sidelines of the Quad meeting, both Foreign Ministers used the opportunity to convene the first India-Australia Cyber Framework Dialogue.

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What's in store for the future?

The much-anticipated update of Peter Varghese AO's India Economic Strategy will open up a slew of new bilateral prospects, not just on the geopolitical and economic fronts, but also on Mr Varghese's most significant asset: the Indian diaspora.

And the eagerly awaited Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), which includes a goal of an "early harvest" free trade agreement, will not only expand business opportunities in both countries, but also diversify market opportunities and reduce reliance on a single regional trading partner. The announcement by India, one of the world's largest consumers of lentils, that it will abolish the 11% import duty on Australian lentils is a good example.

"The Australia-India relationship is evolving radically right in front of our eyes," Minister Jaishankar said at the AII event.

Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India's External Affairs Minister, and Marise Payne, Australia's Foreign Minister, chat with the media after their bilateral discussion during the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue in Melbourne.

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