Indo-Pacific ‘shared aspirations’ of India & Australia: PM Modi outlines future of cooperation

Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese on Thursday outlined the future of India-Australia strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, focussing on increasing military interoperability, enhancing naval cooperation, expanding shipbuilding partnerships, and collaborating on critical and emerging technologies.

During a media briefing with Albanese, Modi said the Indo-Pacific is not just a meeting point of two oceans, but also represents the shared aspirations of like-minded democracies such as India and Australia.

"To increase cooperation in the area of security, we have signed a joint declaration. With the India-Australia Defence Innovation Corridor, we will work to connect defence start-ups and industries. We will also work on shipbuilding, repair and maintenance," Modi said.

In the India-Australia Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation, Modi and Albanese committed to an open, peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific underpinned by a rules-based architecture.

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At a time when China has ramped up muscle-flexing in the region, encouraged by US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the theatre, Modi and Albanese said the Indo-Pacific must be governed by international law, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and an open, stable, and secure maritime domain underpinned by adherence to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), including freedom of navigation and overflight.

In a major upgrade, Modi and Albanese pledged to increase military interoperability and information-sharing through expanded aircraft deployments in each other's territories and deeper ties between military personnel, including through exchanges, education and training, and liaison roles.

On technology cooperation, they said: "We will work together to harness the potential of our cyber security and critical and emerging technology cooperation and information-sharing mechanisms under the Australia-India Partnership on Cyber, Critical Technologies and Supply Chains (Australia-India PACTS), and bolster cooperation on strategic technologies."

Quad, once the fulcrum of the Indo-Pacific strategy, received only passing mentions as Trump's appeasement of China and discouragement of efforts to contain it have pushed the grouping to the back burner. The two leaders noted the close engagement of India and Australia in regional and multilateral forums such as the Quad and announced joint humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercises under frameworks such as the Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network.

"We commit to continued cooperation with other Indo-Pacific partners, including trilateral cooperation mechanisms and deeper engagement with partners through the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative. We will expand our cooperation with the United States of America and Japan to build capability and cooperation towards our positive vision for an open, stable, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region," the declaration said.