It has been five years since Narendra Modi addressed the Australian parliament in Canberra.
Next month, Scott Morrison will become the second Australian Prime Minister, after Malcolm Turnbull, to visit India following Prime Minister Modi's Australian visit in 2014.
Mr Morrison will deliver the inaugural address at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, a major forum on foreign policy and strategic affairs taking place between the 14th and 16th January 2020.
The two countries have seen numerous high-level visits over the past five years. Along with selfies and flattering tweets by the heads of both the nations, spirits appear to be at an all-time high ahead of Mr Morrison’s visit.
Australian PM Scott Morrison (left) and his Indian counterpart at the ASEAN Summit Singapore, November 14, 2018. Source: AAP
Natasha Jha Bhaskar, general manager of the Newland Global Group, a Sydney-based corporate advisory firm specialising in the Australia India space, describes the positive feelings between the two nations as an ‘Indian season’ in Australia.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Australia started a new chapter in the India Australia relationship. It brought new energy and things started moving in a positive direction,” she says.
However, she feels that the partnership could not keep up the momentum.
A visitor passes by a logo of India's IT company Infosys, at the Asian premiere event on Information Technology, the "Bangalore IT." Source: AAP/EPA/MANJUNATH KIRANREAD
“What the India Australia relationship lacks is momentum and consistency. The possibilities are huge, but the timely execution is the need of the hour,” she emphasises.
“Mr Morrison’s visit to India is a huge opportunity to revive issues like the Free Trade Agreement which has been hanging between the two countries for a very long time.”
Anil Wadhwa, former Secretary (East), India’s Ministry of External Affairs, has also recommended a strong execution in his Australia Economic Strategy (AES) report, which was released to complement Australia’s India Economic Strategy 2035, authored by former Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia and Former High Commissioner of Australia to India Peter Varghese.
Listen to the full interview with Natasha Jha Bhaskar:
In an event in Sydney earlier this month Mr Wadhwa said, “The emphasis of the AES report is on some major industry sectors (Critical minerals, Mining Equipment and Technology Services, Medical Devices and Technology, Soil Mapping, Blue Economy, Sports Management and Sports Technology, Innovation and Research, Agri-tech, Health-tech, Water Management, Food Processing and Food Storage, Energy Efficiency and Renewables) and emerging fields for the future, creative ideas and areas in which Australia and India have not engaged with each other.”
Natasha Jha Bhaskar points to India’s apprehensions that have been blocking the road to smoother bilateral relationships.
Natasha Jha Bhaskar, General Manager at Newland Global Group and Former Policy Analyst, Lok Sabha (Indian Parliament) Source: Supplied
“India is branded as a protectionist economy, but we cannot ignore the fact any free trade agreement affects almost 60 per cent of the population of India which is involved in occupations such as agriculture, dairy, automobile and textile.
“If we look at India’s FTAs with RCEP nations, India suffers a trade deficit with 13 of the 15 countries. This shows how India has not been benefitted by the free trade agreements, being a consumption-led economy. Every country takes decisions based on its domestic interests,” she says.
“Australia needs to address India’s concerns. There has to be a balance between goods and services. Mostly trade negotiations focus on goods, but India needs to focus on investment and services, where India has a natural advantage.”
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Artefacts to be returned
During his visit to Indian Prime Minister Scott Morrison will also hand back three culturally significant artefacts to India which are currently held at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.
Among the items being returned is a pair of 15th-century door guardians (dvarapala) from Tamil Nadu and a 6th to 8th-century serpent king (Nagaraja) from Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the return of the artefacts underscores the "world's debt to India's magnificent culture, history and legacy."
