Latest news with #EconomicCooperationandTradeAgreement
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Will work with India on combating terrorism, says Australian Dy PM
New Delhi: Australia backs India's efforts to combat terrorism and the halting of military actions with Pakistan last month was 'an act of Indian leadership', Australian deputy prime minister Richard Marles said on Wednesday, while outlining Canberra's plans to foster a closer defence and security partnership with New Delhi. Marles, who is also the defence minister, is in India as part of a four-nation tour that has taken him to the Maldives and Sri Lanka. During an exclusive interview, he responded to a question on how Australia perceives China's backing to Pakistan during the recent clashes with India by saying both Australia and India feel China's massive military build-up has had 'an impact on the strategic landscape of the Indo-Pacific'. Marles also said Australia is hopeful a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA) will be concluded with India in the 'not too distant future' to build on the gains from the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) signed in 2022. Excerpts from the interview: As India and Australia mark five years of their comprehensive strategic partnership, you've said the re-elected Albanese government is going to be more ambitious. How do you look back at these five years and what's next? India's place in Australia's worldview has grown dramatically and I think under the leadership of Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi, it feels like there's a much greater prominence from an Indian perspective in respect of Australia certainly, if you look at what's occurred in the last five years. The bilateral relationship has absolutely gone to a greater level, we are doing more economically together, we have never been more strategically aligned. That is being reflected in a much greater security [and] defence relationship, which is not just in terms of how we engage in forums that we meet in, the way in which we speak, but actually at a practical level, we're doing more. [Something] as specific as maritime domain awareness, what we're doing with our Boeing P-8 surveillance aircraft that both countries use. We're doing much more cooperation in respect of that today than we've ever done before and that's about trust. When you're sharing that kind of information, you're only doing that if you have a fundamental trust. You don't share that information with anyone other than the closest of friends. But the fact that we are able to share that information and work collaboratively together in terms of supporting those aircraft, means that the ability for us to see the ocean and maritime domain awareness is enormously enhanced for India and Australia. Our economic relationship has grown significantly, it's going from strength to strength. One focus area for Australia is ensuring the Indo-Pacific remains free, open and secure, and you are looking very closely at the Indian Ocean. Australia gifted a patrol boat to the Maldives during your visit. What more would you like do with India in the Indian Ocean? The starting point is we want to see a free and open Indian Ocean. We absolutely want to work with India, [which] is the major player here. But we feel there is work we can do, capability that we can bring to the table in assisting India's work in the Indian Ocean. From an Australian point of view, 50% of our trade goes right past the front door here. We've got a deep national interest in the rules of the road applying in the Indian Ocean, freedom of navigation, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of trade. It's a growing area of strategic interest for us – our defence strategic review in 2022 and 2023 identifies the northeast Indian Ocean as a priority area of interest. We want to be engaged more, but the principal partner is India. In the case of that patrol boat with the Maldives, that's obviously a small country, but one where that can make a real difference in terms of capability. We have experience in working with small island states in the Pacific, what we're doing there is built on a programme that we do for Pacific Island countries. We're familiar with how to assist, and I think the gifting of that patrol boat presents an opportunity for us to cooperate with India. There's been a fundamental shift in India-Australia defence ties, including the signing of a logistics support agreement and an air-to-air refuelling agreement. How do you plan to expand interoperability and exercises? There is a whole lot of ambition that we have. The starting point is the complexity of the world and the strategic alignment of India and Australia are making it so much more attractive for us both to work closer together. There remains a lot more that we can do in maritime domain awareness. Looking at ways in which we can expand our exercises, bilaterally but potentially with other countries, and we've done a little bit of that in the past, but I think there's opportunity to do more of that. There's more we can do in the context of intelligence-sharing. But the biggest area, far and away, is maritime domain awareness and maritime activity. We have a couple of key agreements and roadmaps that we want to see progress through this year in the lead up to a 2+2 meeting [of defence and foreign ministers] later in the year and the leaders' summit. We see this as a really important year to progress all of that. China's military activities across the region are a concern for many countries and there are clear signs China backed Pakistan, in terms of equipment and surveillance, during the recent clashes with India. In that context, how does Australia view the hostilities between India and Pakistan? Though there's two points [here], we obviously condemn the terrorist attack that happened at Pahalgam, our sympathies, thoughts, prayers are very much with the families of those who lost their lives. We stand with India and all countries in every effort to combat terrorism. We do acknowledge and welcome the stoppage of military activity. We actually see that as an act of Indian leadership. But we'll continue to work with India in seeking to combat terrorism in all its forms. You kind of asked it in the context of China and I appreciate why you asked that. I think the simple thing I'd say is, at a broader level, our relationship with China is complex. It is our largest trading partner, but we have a security anxiety in relation to China and one which we've expressed to China itself. We are watching the biggest conventional military buildup in the world since the end of World War II by China, and that's not being done with strategic reassurance. The intent [and] strategic reasons for China to do this has not been made clear and that definitely has an impact on the strategic landscape of the Indo-Pacific. We feel that, India feels that as well. We last had a 2+2 meeting in November 2023, it's really the last time I had a substantive meeting with my counterpart. In the 18 months since then, I think all of what I've just said has become more complex. The reasons for India and Australia to be working more closer together have only grown. The Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) changed the economic landscape between India and Australia. How far are we on the path towards the comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA)? If you look across the four areas of the economic roadmap that Prime Minister Albanese spoke about earlier this year – education, green energy, agriculture and tourism – we've seen real progress in respect of all of those. CECA specifically, those negotiations continue. We are hopeful to see a conclusion of CECA in the not too distant future. What that would do is take our trading arrangements to the next level, but again, if we look back over the last five years, the rate at which India's trade with Australia has grown is double that of the rate at which it's grown with the rest of the world. The India-Australia trading relationship, measured against all of India's trading relationships, is a stand-out. What we've already done has made a huge difference and we really are very excited about taking that to the next level. It's a huge opportunity for Australia, we hope it's an opportunity for India. Both our economies are complementary, we supply what India needs for its economy. Is there anything in particular holding up negotiations on CECA? No, I think those negotiations are going well. They are negotiations and people bring different positions to the table, and you work them through and that's completely natural. But we're pleased with the progress and we're hopeful it will be concluded in the not too distant future. India is set to host the Quad Summit at a time when the US administration appears to be more inward-looking. What would Australia like to see on the agenda of the Quad Summit? I don't necessarily accept that assertion. We all want to see American leadership in the world, but the Quad has always been and continues to be a really fantastic opportunity for four like-minded countries, democracies with shared values operating in the Indo-Pacific, to do so cooperatively for the benefit of the Indo-Pacific. I think this meeting is really important in terms of continuing the momentum that we've seen with the Quad, across the fields that the Quad has been engaged in up until now. We want to see that expanded. I suppose in the context of the question you've asked, it will be the first Quad Summit of the Trump administration. I think you're right, that does give it significance in that context. The Quad has been a very important construct for our countries to show leadership in the Indo-Pacific and this meeting is really important in relation to that. Do you think the Indian government's concerns about activities of Khalistani separatists in Australia have been addressed? Are there still concerns about their activities? I hope not. Obviously, people in Australia have a right to have their views, but to be clear, there's no sympathy for the Khalistani movement by the Australian government, none at all. We take our obligations very seriously to provide security for India's missions, consulates, the high commission in Australia. How do you plan on building on the role of the Indian diaspora in Australia to further strengthen bilateral relations? The Indian diaspora is a wonderful asset for Australia. It's the fastest growing community in Australia and is bringing an energy and an industry to the Australian economy. We are huge recipients of everything
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Australian Deputy PM Marles to visit India this week
Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles will visit India this week as part of a four-nation trip that is aimed at boosting Canberra's security cooperation with South and Southeast Asia. The Deputy Prime Minister's visit to India coincides with the fifth anniversary of the firming up of the Australia and India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which underpins the two countries' relationship and shared vision for the Indian Ocean, an Australian readout said. Mr. Marles will travel to South and Southeast Asia from June 2 to 5 for high-level meetings, the readout said. He is also Australia's Defence Minister. Besides India, Mr. Marles is also scheduled to visit the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. 'Australia values our relationships with neighbours in the Indo-Pacific. Our deepening cooperation is at the heart of Australia's approach to ensure the Indo-Pacific remains open, inclusive and resilient,' Mr. Marles said. Beyond Border-Gavaskar: On India-Australia trade agreement 'I look forward to meeting leaders and welcome productive discussions on how we can work together to shape a peaceful, secure, and prosperous region that is respectful of sovereignty,' he said. Mr. Marles will be the first senior Australian Minister to visit India after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese retained power for a second term following his Labor Party's victory in the parliamentary election. India and Australia signed the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) in 2022 and are negotiating a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA).
The Print
3 days ago
- Business
- The Print
Australian Deputy PM Marles to visit India this week
Marles will travel to South and Southeast Asia from June 2 to 5 for high-level meetings, the readout said. He is also Australia's defence minister. The deputy prime minister's visit to India coincides with the fifth anniversary of the firming up of the Australia and India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which underpins the two countries' relationship and shared vision for the Indian Ocean, an Australian readout said. New Delhi, Jun 1 (PTI) Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles will visit India this week as part of a four-nation trip that is aimed at boosting Canberra's security cooperation with South and Southeast Asia. Besides India, Marles is also scheduled to visit the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. 'Australia values our relationships with neighbours in the Indo-Pacific. Our deepening cooperation is at the heart of Australia's approach to ensure the Indo-Pacific remains open, inclusive and resilient,' Marles said. 'I look forward to meeting leaders and welcome productive discussions on how we can work together to shape a peaceful, secure, and prosperous region that is respectful of sovereignty,' he said. Marles will be the first senior Australian minister to visit India after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese retained power for a second term following his Labor party's victory in the parliamentary election. India and Australia signed the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) in 2022 and are negotiating a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA). PTI MPB RC This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
28-04-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Protecting India's trade interests with the US amid global uncertainty
In the uncertain global environment, India committing to a comprehensive FTA would be risky Ajay Srivastava Listen to This Article On February 13, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States President Donald Trump agreed to launch negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement (BTA). A BTA is essentially a free trade agreement (FTA) under a different name, similar to India's Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with Japan and its Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) with Australia. For simplicity, we will refer to it as an FTA from here on. US Vice-President J D Vance and Prime Minister Modi announced the finalisation of the terms of reference (ToRs) for the FTA on April 21. The ToRs set the ambition levels for
