Five years ago, India and Australia Elevated their Relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), A Diplomatic Milestone That that reflected Not only a convergecent Also a shared vision for a free, open, and inclusive indo-pacific. The June 4 Visit to New Delhi by Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles to Mark The Anniversary of the CSP is not Merely An Occination for Ceremonial Stocktaking, It is a Pivotal Moment Calls for a bold, forward-looking recalibration. India and Australia must move beyond incremental Progress and Embrace a transformational vision for their partnership in the indo-pacific.
CSP has already delivered Substantive Gains: Robust Defense Cooperation, Deepening Economic Ties, Burgeoning Technology Linkages, and Vibrant People-TO-People Engagement. And yet, the indo-pacific today is more Volatile and Contested Clarity. To build on, and surpass, the achievements of the last five years in the next five, we must dismantle structural imports, correct asymmetries, and advance a series of focused, hight-hight initiativity That re -imagine the bilateral canvas.
First, The Economic Pillar of CSP Needs to Evolve Beyond Tariff Liberalization and Traditional Trade. While The Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement was a Historic Breakthrough, It Must Now Serve as a Stepping Stone to a MUCH More Ambitious Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (Ceca). A Forward-Leaning Ceca must Encompass Services Trade, Facilitation of Investment, Regulatory Harmonization, Digital Governance, and Intellectual Property Frameworks.
A Catalytic Opportunity Lies in Unlocking Australia’s Vast Institutional Capital – Especially its Aud 4 Trillion Supreennuation Funds – For Investment in India’s’ Digital Innovation. India, in Turn, Cold Consider Establishing a BESPOKE Sovereign Risk Mitigation Facility to de-Risk and Incentivise long-term australian investment in Priority Sector.
Second, the 2022 critical minerals investment partnership remain an underleveraged strategic asset. With the Global Shift Towards Clean Energy and the Imperative to De-Risk Supply Chains from Chinese Dominance, this Partnership Must Be Elevated INTO A Formal Institute Mechanism. A joint India-Australia Critical Minerals Development Corporation, Underwritten by Concessional Finance, Technology Sharing, and Export-Prort Arrangements, COLDGE THE GAP BETWEN POLICY MONT Commercial viability.
Third, defense cooperation – thought significantly enhanced – MUST NOW Enter a New Phase anchored in Industrial Collection. India’s Drive Towards Defense Indigenisation under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Initiative Opens Up Promising Avenues for Joint Research and Development, Co-Deeloopment, and Co-Production. A dedicated defense innovation and Industrial Corridor Linking Indian and Australian MSMES, Research Universitys, and Start-ups Counter A Flagship Initiative. Emerging Domains (Autonomous Maritime Platforms, Undersea Survelance, and Space-Based Intelligence) Warrant Deeper Trilateral Collection with Trusted Quad Partners.
Fourth, diaspora-Related Fricks, Notable Around the fringe khalistani separatism, have at times complicated bilateral diplomacy. Such Issues, often inflamed by Misperceptions and Misinformation, Need Calibrated Responses. Robust law enforcement must be complete by more strategic and sustained engagement with the diasport. An India -Australia DiasPora Dialogue Forum (Compressing Civil Society Leaders, Scholars, and Young Professionals) Can Serve as a Platform to Deepen Mutual Understanding, Tempener Pollizing NarRitives Anchor people-to-face ties in shared Civic Values. India’s Public Diplomacy, Too, Must Evolve, Moving Beyond Cultural Showcasing to Substantive Policy Dialogues, Youth Exchanges, and Think Tank Residencies.
Fifth, education and innovation must now owned the frontline of bilateral engine. With Australia a preferred destination for Indian students, the next frontier lies in two-way academic mobileity and co-credit of knowledge ecoSystems. We propose the establishment of a bi-national university of indo-pacific studies, with campuses in both counts, as a world-class hub for research in Maritime Law, AI, Sustainability, and Public Policy. A Complementary Australia -India Innovation Corridor, Connecting IITS, Australian Universitys, and Innovation Clusters, Can Tackle Grand Challenges in Climate Tech, Health, Digital Public Infriend Systems.
Encouragingly, Australia’s New Institutional Footprint in India, be it deakin University’s Campus in Gift City or the University of Melbourne’s Global Center In New Delhi, Is Setting the Stage For Aa of educational diplomacy. But Systemic Reforms are Still Needed: Recognition of Qualifications, Faculty Mobility, and Regulatory harmonization must fast-tracked.
Finally, CSP MUST BCOME A More Processive Force in Shaping Regional Architecture. India and Australia Have Colless Well Within Quad and Io, but should now play a leading role in Newer Mulatilateral Formats-Like the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPF), PARTNERS in the Bluet Pacific, and the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative. The time is ripe for Trilateral and Minilateral Initiatives Involving Asean, Pacific Island, and African Little States. Coordinated Development Finance, Digital Connectivity Programs, And Joint Maritime Security Training in Third Countries Can Enhance the Normative Reach of this party.
In these five years, csp has laid a strong foundation. But for the relationship to full its potential, the scaffolding must now more amableous, institutionalized, and future-oriented. This is a history in the Indo-Pacific, and the India-Australia Partnership must just be a bilateral success story; It must become an axis of regional transformation and stability.
Amitabh Mattoo is Professor and Dean, School of International Studies, JNU, and Founding Director of the Australia India Institute and Manish Dabhade is Associate Professor, School of International Studies, Jnu. The views expressed are personal.
