2nd India-Australia Virtual Summit

In News

• Recently, the Prime Minister of India  and Australia held the 2nd India-Australia Virtual Summit. 

Major Highlights 

• They reviewed the multi-faceted relationship between the two countries and exchanged views on regional and global developments.
• Both the leaders expressed satisfaction at the progress made under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established during the 1st Virtual Summit in June 2020.
• Both sides also agreed to establish annual summits between the Prime Ministers under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, thus adding a special dimension to the bilateral relationship.
•  They expressed their satisfaction at the enhanced scope of the relationship which now covers diverse areas such as trade and investments, defence and security, education and innovation, science and technology, critical minerals, water management, new and renewable energy technology, Covid-19 related research, etc. 
• India thanked Australia for the special gesture in returning 29 ancient artefacts to India. 
  • These artefacts comprise sculptures, paintings and photographs, across centuries, some dating back to the 9th-10th century, from different parts of India. 
  • The artefacts include 12th century Chola bronzes, 11th-12th century Jain sculptures from Rajasthan, 12th-13th century sandstone Goddess Mahishasura Mardini from Gujarat, 18th-19th century paintings and early gelatin silver photographs.  

• Both the leaders also appreciated the increasing strategic convergence between the two countries as fellow democracies with shared values and common interests, which include a free, open, inclusive, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. 
• The Australian Prime Minister expressed his understanding of India’s position on the crisis in Ukraine and he and PM Narendra Modi felt that the conflict should not be a reason for diverting attention from the Indo-Pacific.
• The two leaders also discussed the situation along the India-China Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh .

India-Australia Relations

• Historical 
  • The historical ties between India and Australia started immediately following European settlement in  Australia from 1788. 
  • All trade to and fro from the penal colony of New South Wales was controlled  by the British East India Company through Kolkata. 
  • India and Australia established diplomatic  relations in the pre-Independence period, with the establishment of India Trade Office in Sydney in  1941. 
  • The end of the Cold War and simultaneously India’s decision to launch major economic  reforms in 1991 provided the first positive move towards development of closer ties between the two  nations. 
    • With the passage of time, the relationship gained momentum towards a strategic relationship,  alongside the existing economic engagement.
•  Strategic partnership:
  • The India-Australia bilateral relationship has undergone evolution in recent years, developing along a  positive track, into a strategic partnership. 
  • Australia looks at India as an important partner in promoting regional security and stability.
  • This led to upgradation of the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership, including a Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation in 2009. 
  • The two nations have much in common, underpinned by  shared values of a pluralistic, Westminster-style democracies, Commonwealth traditions, expanding  economic engagement and increasing high level interaction.
  • The long-standing people-to-people ties,  ever increasing Indian students coming to Australia for higher education, growing tourism and  sporting links have played a significant role in further strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. 

• Bilateral Engagement:
  • Bilateral mechanisms include high-level visits, Annual Meetings of Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue, Joint Trade and Commerce Ministerial Commission, India-Australia ‘2+2’ Foreign Secretaries and Defence Secretaries Dialogue, Defence Policy Talks, Australia-India Education Council, Defence Services Staff Talks, etc.
• Multilateral Engagement:
  • Both countries have close cooperation in multilateral fora like Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and G20.
  • The Quadrilateral Framework (QUAD) of India and Australia along with the US and Japan emphasize the collective resolve to maintain a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.

• Bilateral Trade:
  • India is the 5th largest trade partner of Australia with trade in goods and services at  A$ 29 billion representing 3.6% share of the total Australian trade in 2017-18, with export at A$ 8  billion and import at A$ 21 billion. 
  • Overall trade increased 13.1% on a yoy basis. While imports  increased 9.7% on a yoy basis, export increased by an impressive 23.3% although on a lower base. 
  • India’s main exports to Australia are Refined Petroleum, medicaments, Railway vehicles including  hover-trains, Pearls & Gems, Jewellery, made up textile articles, while our major imports are Coal,  copper ores & concentrates, Gold, vegetables, wool & other animal hair, fruits and nuts, lentils and  education related services. 
  • The two countries are also discussing a Comprehensive Economic  Cooperation Agreement (CECA)
  • India Australia Circular Economy (I-ACE) Hackathon 2021 was an effort to strengthen bi-lateral innovations in Circular Economy.
• S&T:
  • An Australia-India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF), which was established in 2006, supports scientists in India and Australia to collaborate on leading-edge research. 
  • AISRF consists of India  Australia Biotechnology Fund; India-Australia Science & Technology Fund; Grand Challenge  Fund and Fellowship Schemes.
• Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement:
  • It was signed between the two countries in September 2014 during the visit of the Australian Prime Minister to India.
  • The Australian Parliament passed the Civil Nuclear Transfer to India Bill 2016 which ensures that Uranium mining companies in Australia may fulfil contracts to supply Australian uranium to India for civil use.

• Defence:

• In 2014, both sides decided to extend defence cooperation to cover research, development and industry engagement and agreed to hold regular meetings at the level of the Defence Minister conduct regular maritime exercises and convene regular service-to-service talks
• The first-ever Bilateral Maritime Exercise, AUSINDEX, was conducted in Visakhapatnam (Bay of Bengal) in September 2015.
• In 2018, the Indian Air Force participated for the first time in the Exercise Pitch Black in Australia.
• INS Sahyadri participated in Kakadu, the biennial exercise of the Australian Navy held in 2018, in which 27 nations participated. 
• The 4^th edition of AUSTRAHIND (Special Forces of Army Exercise) was held in September 2019.

• Environment:
  • It is an area where there is great opportunity for India and Australia to work together since both countries had similar commitments.
  • The flagship program of National Innovation for Climate Resilient Agriculture and collaboration with the research organisations of Australia.

• Indian Community:
  • The Indian community in Australia continues to grow in size and importance, with a population of nearly half seven lakhs.
  • India is now the third-largest source of immigrants to Australia, after the UK and New Zealand and the largest source of skilled professionals for Australia.
  • There is a  constant flow of students and tourists from India. 
  • The growing significance of the community is reflected in the large-scale celebration of Indian festivals in Australia, especially Deepawali.

Source:TH