PM Modi in Australia: Why his trip is significant

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached Australia for the final stop of his three-nation Asia-Pacific tour which began with Japan last week. His trip comes despite the cancellation of the Quad summit in Sydney after US president Joe Biden suddenly called off his trip. This is Modi’s second official visit to Australia after assuming the post of prime minister in 2014.

Landed in Sydney to a warm welcome by the Indian community. Looking forward to various programmes over the next two days. pic.twitter.com/gE8obDI5eD

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 22, 2023

What to expect from the trip and why is it significant? We explain. What is the agenda? Prime Minister Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese. The two are expected to discuss trade and investment and strengthen “efforts to boost trade between the two countries through a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, and work to strengthen people-to-people links, renewable energy, and defence and security cooperation”, as per an official statement released by the Australian government. The Indian leader will also interact with Australian business leaders to propel Canberra’s “growing trade and investment relationship with India and take forward opportunities from the Australia-India CEO Forum held in Mumbai in March,” the statement added. Modi’s visit has come amid recent incidents of vandalism of an Indian Consulate and temples in Australia reportedly by Khalistani supporters. When asked if the issue will be raised between the two premiers, foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra said, as per ANI, “I would only say that all issues of bilateral engagements, including the issues of attaining harmony in our society and the safety and security of our two societies, will be discussed”.

#WATCH | It is not correct for me to prejudge what would be discussed between PM Modi and PM Albanese. I would only say that all issues of bilateral engagements including the issues of attaining harmony in our society and the safety & security of our two societies will be… pic.twitter.com/d0xpuf4xZH

— ANI (@ANI) May 22, 2023

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Modi, who will spend three days in Sydney, will also receive a ceremonial welcome at Admiralty House, the official residence of the Governor-General. Modi and the Indian diaspora The prime minister will address the Indian diaspora at a community event, organised by the Indian Australian Diaspora Foundation (IADF), in Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on Tuesday (23 May). According to news agency AFP, at least 18,000 people are likely to attend. Supporters from different Australian states are being brought to the function through privately chartered flights, reported the British daily The Guardian. “He attracts this huge crowd for his exemplary and visionary leadership that is transforming and developing India at an unprecedented pace,” Jay Shah, director of the IADF, told the UK newspaper. “PM Modi is the most popular leader of India at the moment and has a great appeal and following, not just in India but also in many Indians living abroad.” Indians, who are the second-largest migrant community in Australia, comprise nearly 3 per cent of the country’s population, according to Economic Times.  ALSO READ: Modi gets Fiji, Papua New Guinea’s highest civilian honours: The many international awards conferred on PM Why is the visit significant? In 2014, Modi became the first prime minister to visit Australia since Rajiv Gandhi. During that visit, the Indian premier had said: “Australia will not be in the periphery of our vision but at the centre of our thoughts.” Since then, India and Australia have bolstered their relationship. Last year in April, the two countries signed a historic free trade agreement, Economic Cooperation and Trade Deal (ECTA), which was the first such trade deal for New Delhi in more than a decade, as per ThePrint. In 2022, two-way trade between the two nations was valued at Aus $46.5 billion (US$31 billion). This is expected to rise further with the free-trade deal that came into effect in December, noted AFP. India’s Khanij Bidesh Ltd (KABIL) and Australia’s Critical Minerals Office also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the mining field and processing of critical and strategic minerals. Rami Niranjan Desai, consulting editor of Global Order, and Distinguished Fellow, India Foundation, wrote for ThePrint that the bilateral talks between Modi and Albanese “may fast-track” the agenda of enhancing trade between India and Australia in the next five years “in order to decrease dependency on China for critical minerals”. Modi’s trip has come amid China’s increasing aggression in the Indo-Pacific region and attempts to make economic pathways. Earlier today, Modi told 14 leaders of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation in Papua New Guinea that New Delhi was committed to a “free, open and inclusive Indo Pacific”. New Delhi and Canberra have also improved ties in the field of education, which, as per Indian Express, is the “bedrock of the bilateral relationship” between the nations. Indians make up the second-largest group of international students in Australia. By the end of January 2023, there were almost 70,000 Indian students studying in Australia. Canberra and New Delhi have recently decided on the mutual recognition of qualifications of both countries.   Dr Pradeep Taneja, academic fellow with the Australia India Institute, told The Guardian that Modi continuing with his trip, despite Quad getting cancelled, shows that Canberra and New Delhi’s “interests are much more aligned today than ever before in history”. The Quad leaders – US’ Biden, PM Modi, Japan’s Fumio Kishida and Albanese – attended a meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima on Saturday (20 May). [caption id=“attachment_12633042” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Quad leaders met in Japan’s Hiroshima on the sidelines of the G7 summit. AP[/caption] “The importance of the bilateral meeting between the two countries irrespective of the cancellation of the Quad leaders’ summit signifies the priority that is accorded to this partnership”, Desai wrote for ThePrint. As per Indian Express, the prime minister’s visit is “illustrative of the importance that New Delhi accords to the bilateral relationship with Canberra”. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.