A Middle Power Moment

Context: India needs to build a series of overlapping bilateral and multilateral platforms for regional security cooperation with Australia and other natural partners to limit the growing geopolitical imbalance in the Indo-Pacific.

Australian Advantage for India 

• The economic weight: 13th largest economy

• Rich in natural resources: satisfy the growing economy needs of India. 

• Huge reservoirs of strength: in higher education, scientific, and technological research.

• Australian armed forces and intelligence establishment: has international recognition.

• Connections: Deep economic, political, and security connections with the ASEAN and a strategic partnership with non-aligned nations like Indonesia. 

• It has a little “sphere of influence” of its own in the South Pacific (now under threat from Chinese penetration).

India-Australia Bilateral Ties

• Australia as a natural part of Asia: invited to the Asian Relations Conference in Delhi in 1947.
• Consistent political initiative: to advance bilateral ties by resolving the nuclear difference and expanding the template of engagement.
• Diaspora: Fastest growing Indian diaspora in Australia.
• Common membership: of many groupings (like the G-20, East Asia Summit, IORA, and the Quad) has increased the possibilities for diplomatic cooperation on regional and global issues. 

• Growing bilateral defense engagement.

The need for India Australia Bilateral Relationship

• Intensive bilateral political and institutional engagement: for solving global Issues like reforming the World Health Organisation, 5G technology, strengthening the international solar alliance, climate change, and disasters.
• Consequential security cooperation: as an answer to geopolitical churn in the Indo-Pacific (Chinese assertiveness and uncertain US political trajectory).
• India’s neglect of Australia: utilized by China that puts interests above ideology, promotes interdependence with a targeted middle power.

Way Forward

• Develop a military logistics support agreement.
• Develop strategic coordination: in the various sub-regions of the Indo-Pacific littoral.
• Initiate a full range of joint activities: on maritime domain awareness, development of strategically located islands and marine scientific research in the Eastern Indian Ocean (heart of the Indo-Pacific).
• Shared political commitment to the Indo-Pacific idea: by seeking trilateral maritime and naval cooperation (Indonesia, Australia, and India).
• Expanding dialogue from the diplomatic level to practical maritime cooperation: on the ground and include natural partners for India and Australia (Japan, France, and Britain and Indonesia).
• A trilateral arrangement between France, Australia, and India: supplement the bilateral cooperation.
• Explore the possibilities for engagement between India and Britain’s Five Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA) that brings together the armed forces of the UK, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.