China on mind, India and Australia ink defence pact

I ndia and Australia on Thursday elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, signed seven key agreements including a landmark pact for reciprocal access to military bases and another on rare earth minerals during an online summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison.

Against the backdrop of their frosty relations with China, the two countries also unveiled a ‘shared vision for maritime cooperation in the Indo- Pacific’, a region which has been witnessing growing Chinese military assertiveness triggering concerns among major players.

Asked at a media briefing whether the origin of the coronavirus pandemic in China’s Wuhan city or the military standoff between Chinese and Indian troops figured in the talks, Secretary (East) i n the External Affairs Ministry Vijay Thakur Singh said there was no discussion on China at the summit. There has been strain in ties between Australia and China after Canberra pitched for an international probe into the origin of the coronavirus.

In his initial remarks at the first ever bilateral virtual summit with a foreign leader, Modi said India is committed to expanding its relations with Australia in a comprehensive and quick manner, adding: “This is important not only for our two countries but also for the Indo-pacific region and the world.” Some of the major takeaways at the talks included the decision of the two countries to upgraded 2+2 dialogue featuring their foreign and defence secretaries to the ministerial level, signing of the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) and another pact on cooperation in the field of mining and rare earth minerals.

The MLSA will allow militaries of the two countries to use each other ’s bases for repair and replenishment of supplies besides facilitating scaling up of overall defence cooperation. India has already signed similar agreements with the US, France and Singapore.