India-Australia amity

CONNECTED by the Commonwealth as well as the Indian Ocean, India and Australia have traditionally enjoyed good relations. Both countries adopted a pragmatic approach to defuse the tension caused by a series of allegedly racist attacks on Indian students in 2009-10. The fact that Indians are among the largest migrant groups in Australia has brought the two nations closer in recent years. Thursday’s virtual summit between PM Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison was a success by all accounts. The joint declaration struck all the right notes, while the samosa-khichdi repartee provided the bells and whistles.

Though China apparently did not figure in the talks, it was clear that the Indo-Australian bonhomie was partly influenced by their not-so-friendly relations with the former. India’s neighbour is keeping it on tenterhooks with brazen muscle-flexing along the Line of Actual Control, while Australia has been vociferously demanding a probe into China’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. With China throwing its weight around in the Indo-Pacific, India and Australia have come out with a shared vision for maritime cooperation and stability in the region. Their support for a rules-based maritime order carries a stern message for China: respect sovereignty and international law, particularly the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The development comes less than three years after both countries, along with the US and Japan, formed the Quad coalition to work for ensuring a level playing field in the Indo-Pacific. With the aim of raising defence cooperation a few notches, the two countries have now inked a pact that will allow their militaries to access each other’s bases. India has also made its intent clear to source critical minerals from Australia, in an effort to reduce its dependence on China in this sector. With the long-time US ally firmly on its side, India is now in a stronger position to assert itself in the face of neighbourly high-handedness. The gains expected to accrue from the engagement with Australia should stand India in good stead in the post-pandemic world.