Indian PM Narendra Modi holds bilateral talks with Japanese and Australian PMs

Washington: – Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a visit to the United States, held bilateral talks with the Japanese and Australian Prime Ministers. The open, free and inclusive Indo-Pacific region featured prominently in the discussions with both these leaders. The discussions between the Indian, Japanese and Australian Prime Ministers become significant because of the imbalance and the atmosphere of insecurity created in the Indo-Pacific due to the aggressive Chinese domination policies.

Prime Minister Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga concurred on making the security and defence-related cooperation between the two countries more comprehensive. This includes collaboration in joint manufacture and sharing of technology. The statement issued by the foreign ministry clarified that India and Japan had adopted a firm stand for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific sector. In his post on social media, Prime Minister Modi said that the strong cooperation and friendship between India and Japan would be in the entire world’s interest. Prime Minister Modi clarified that the discussion with Prime Minister Suga was very fruitful.

Meanwhile, saying that Prime Minister Modi was a friend on a personal and national level, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison clarified that talks were held on various issues for bilateral cooperation. Both the leaders assessed the progress of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) signed between the two countries. The statement issued by the foreign ministry gave this information.

Recently, the Foreign and Defence Ministers of India and Australia held Two Plus Two talks. It is also believed that a free trade agreement between India and Australia will be concluded soon. China has declared a trade war against Australia, which has hit the Australian economy hard. In such a scenario, Australia is taking initiatives to strengthen economic cooperation with India, as well as expand diplomatic and defence cooperation. This has significantly increased the importance of collaboration between the two countries.

Both the leaders concurred that in the time of crisis following the Coronavirus pandemic, India and Australia, two of the largest democracies in the Indo-Pacific region, need to cooperate to maintain the global supply chain necessary for production.

The centre of the global supply chain is currently in China. However, following the Coronavirus pandemic, China was unable to maintain the pace of production. Given that such crises may recur in the future, there is a need to build a more secure global supply chain. Countries like India, Australia and Japan are making aggressive efforts for this and are claiming that India is the best alternative for this. It is believed that this will pose a major challenge for China.

Indians living here contribute on a large scale to Australia’s economy and society. Therefore, both leaders agreed to emphasise enhancing communication and dialogue between the Indian and Australian populations. Prime Minister Modi also thanked the Australian Prime Minister for taking proper care of the Indians in the Coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Modi also invited Prime Minister Scott Morrison to visit India.