- share colonial era links, w/ early trade via Kolkata in 1788
- formal diplomatic relations began in 1941 & partnership has evolved steadily, especially since 2014 and after signing of CSP 2020
Key areas of cooperation
- historical relations: early ties suffered after 1998 nuclear tests but recovered w/ 2014 uranium agreement
- P2P Ties: australia’s 2nd largest migrant group, 2nd largest source of students
- strategic
- upgraded to CSP 2020
- joint exercises: AUSINDEX
- logistic agreements & air to air refuelling cooperation
- Indo pacific & china factor: shared commitment to a rules based order via QUAD, Indo Pacific Oceans Initiative
- Trade
- bilateral trade > $30B in 2023
- ECTA reduced tariff, CECA under negotiation
- Aus supplies coal & LNG
- india exports IT, pharma, textiles
- SCRI
- Clean energy
- S&T
- joint telemetry terminals in Cocos Island for India’s Human Spaceflight Mission
- Education & Skills
- mutual recognition of qualifications
- agreement under Migration & Mobility partnership
- multilateral engagement
- Joint initiatives at G20, UN, IORA
- australia supports india’s UNSC permanent seat bid
Challenges
| Challenge | Details |
|---|
| Trade, CECA Delays | slow CECA talks, non tariff barriers affect inidan exports eg. Pharma standards |
| Extremist activity | Khalistani elements, temple vandalism |
| Nuclear trade stagnation | no uranium imports yet despite 2014 agreement |
| Visa Fee Hike | 125% hike in australian visa fees |
Recent initiatives
Way forward
- Deepen economic inetgration: fully implement ECTA & fasttrack, CECA
- encourage clean energy investment, mining
- strengthen security ties, maritime domain awareness, cybersec
- indo pacific engagement: collab in ASEAN, IORA, Pacific Islands Forum
- Combat extremism: improve intelligence sharing, joint monitoring & community outreach to tackle radical narratives