Author : Colonel SC Tyagi (Retd),

EMERGING PARTNERSHIP: INDIA–AUSTRALIA

By Col SC Tyagi (Retd)*

After the European settlement in Australia, Calcutta-Sydney route was used for trade and commerce for one to two decades in early Twentieth Century. During the period between World War I and II, the trade dwindled. Thereafter, Australia was seen by the Indians as an education and skilled manpower destination with very little trade between the two nations. Besides a few military officers doing military courses and naval ships visiting each other’s country, there has been very little defence related exchange. Due to perceived instability in Asia, Australia did not look beyond East Asia. Looking at the map of Australia and its continental strategic depth, it can be fully grasped that it does not have significant land based threats but maritime strategic interests are important for its economic and defence considerations.

With China’s claims on the South China Sea threatening the global commons, the geo-political strategic balance is shifting. South Asia, which was earlier considered unstable, has emerged economically and strategically important. Rising status of India in the region, with a strong military, has boosted the comprehensive national power rating and has made India an important link. The Indian Ocean region has been the hub of increasing economic and naval activities. It is connected to Pacific Ocean through Malacca Straits. Almost 50 per cent of the world’s maritime trade, including oil, passes through the confined straits and choke points in the archipelagic waters of Southeast Asia and the South China Sea. Thus this region, which is of vital economic significance for the entire world, lends itself not only to newer forms of regional and global rivalry but also varied forms of traditional and non-traditional security threats like maritime terrorism, sea piracy, poaching and access to territorial waters and so on. To India’s geographic advantage, its coastline stretches about 5700 KMs on the mainland and about 7500 KMs including the two island territories signifying its vital strategic importance.

During his recent visit to India[i], US Secretary of Defence, Leon E Panetta stated, “America is at a turning point. After a decade of war, we are developing a new defense strategy - a central feature of which is a “rebalancing” toward the Asia-Pacific region. In particular, we will expand our military partnerships and our presence in the arc extending from the Western Pacific and East Asia into the Indian Ocean region and South Asia. Defense cooperation with India is a linchpin in this strategy.” Evidently, the four corners of this new configuration are Australia, Japan, USA and India. India being the strategic pivot, besides US-India strategic partnership and Japan and India relations, it is similarly important for India and Australia to engage with each other at strategic and economic fronts at higher level. The need for the same was stated in a recent seminar in Delhi by the High Commissioner of Australia in India[ii]. According to him, India and Australia share close views, if not identical, on most of the issues in the region and share democratic values and maritime interests.

India has started looking eastward and in the recent past, its engagement with the countries in the region has increased. Since its start about a decade ago, the partnership between India and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprising Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam has been developing at quite a fast pace[iii]. Separately, there have been bilateral visits of heads of states in the region. Dr Manmohan Singh, Prime  Minister of India, despite China’s objection  to OVL exploring for oil and gas in Vietnam's territorial waters and India playing down the two incidents by saying no confrontation was involved and stressing its support for the freedom of navigation in international waters — including the South China Sea, has signed an accord  with Vietnam as the two "maritime neighbours" faced the common security challenges of terrorism, piracy and natural disasters and agreed to work closely to tackle the threats posed by them[iv]. Similarly, Dr Singh visited Myanmar in end May 2012 and it was a first visit by an Indian Prime Minister since 1987. Myanmar is seen as an important part of India’s Look East Policy for the simple reason that it is the only South East Asian nation with which India shares a land border, common colonial legacy, common cultural bonds and membership of common organizations/forums[v]. Strategic and economic relations with other South East Asian countries are similarly being strengthened.

Mr Peter N Varghese, the High Commissioner of Australia in India, enunciated four step strategies for enhancing joint cooperation between India and Australia[vi]. Building up of economic relations is the first step towards greater exchanges and engagement between two nation states. The trade between India and Australia, which has almost doubled in the recent past, needs to be further boosted up. While India can increase its Services sector presence especially in IT field, Australia is willing to boost up India’s energy sector. The next step is to continue consultation and dialogue on geo-strategic issues and cooperate with each other. East Asia Summit (EAS) forum and Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) are to be supported, strengthened and the latter is to be built up. Working multilaterally in various forums to liberalize trade is the third important step. The final and the fourth step is to improve and enhance people to people relations.     

India is at the threshold of emerging from the darkness of under developed world to a developing nation. However, due to the peculiar nature of democracy, the domestic compulsions set the tone for many geo-strategically important issues. India has been the front runner of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) and remains moralistically inclined to be seen as following the principles of non-alliance. A flexible approach to deal with new alliances and partnering is required simultaneously balancing the need to be seen as ‘not part of any grouping/alliances’; which is a tough call. Also, progress on any front must not compromise any relationship. Progress on economic issues, greater people to people contact, academic exchange of scholars, media and socio-cultural issues need to be addressed.

 

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