New Delhi, December 15: After the US, Australia today came out in strong support of India playing a leading role in East Asia and said the security interests of both the countries are “congruent” in ensuring stability and openness in the Indo-Pacific region. Australian Foreign Secretary Frances Adamson also said Canberra’s trilateral and quadrilateral dialogues with India along with other major powers are a central part of its approach to “order-building” in the Indo-Pacific.
“Beyond an increasingly important economic relationship, our security interests are congruent, particularly in relation to the stability and openness of the Indian Ocean,” she said during a media interaction. She said Australia “strongly encourages” India’s strategic interests in East Asia.
The Trump administration has been favouring a larger role for India in the Indo-Pacific region. At the same time, Adamson said Australia will pursue “an active and positive” agenda with China and encourage it to use its growing influence to support regional security.
Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, Adamson and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Shinsuke J Sugiyama held the 4th Australia-Japan trilateral dialogue which discussed a range of issues including the regional security scenario, counter-terror cooperation and North Korea’s nuclear missile tests.
Australia, India, the US and Japan had held a meeting of the proposed quadrilateral coalition in Manila last month, seen as a move to counter China’s aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific. Adamson said the quadrilateral and the trilateral coalition will continue to exist alongside as both the platforms are broadening discussions in pursuing common interests.
Asked whether China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) figured in the trilateral talks, she said all the three countries were “very clear” that there should be transparency around these mega connectivity projects including in award of contracts and financing arrangements. India has opposed the BRI due to its sovereignty concerns over the $50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). CPEC is part of the BRI. “It does not matter under whose auspices infrastructure is being developed,” Adamson said.
Referring to Australia’s recently unveiled “white paper” on foreign policy, she said it recognises that India now sits in the front rank of Australia’s international partnerships. On bilateral trade and economic ties, Adamson said Australia is developing an ‘India Economic Strategy’ to identify new ways of doing business together and to work towards free trade between the two sides. She also said Australia will back India if it wants to join the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), a forum comprising 21 Pacific Rim member economies that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region.