India, Australian can use each other’s military bases

India, Australian can use each other’s military bases

FPJ BureauUpdated: Friday, June 05, 2020, 04:18 AM IST
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New Delhi: PM Modi has another strategic partnership under his belt. He has signed an agreement with his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison on giving each other access to military bases for repair and replenishment of supplies. This essentially means that Indian and Australian military ships and aircraft can refuel and access maintenance facilities at each other's bases.

The understanding between the two sides, however, goes beyond the logistics agreement and is intended to scale up overall defence cooperation, especially in view of the convergence of interests in the Indo-Pacific region. This, in turn, is part of a bigger game plan to enhance cooperation to counter the all-pervasive Chinese influence in the region. The timing of the announcement of the military pact is important as it has come in the backdrop of the China-India standoff in Ladakh.

Again, it is no coincidence that Australia's trade relations with China have soured and Morrison’s demand last month for an international review into the origins and spread of the novel coronavirus did not go down well with Beijing. Morrison was due in India in January but was forced to cancel the trip because of the bushfires in Australia.

The holding of the summit now, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, shows the importance the two leaders attach to bilateral ties, officials were cited as saying by a news agency. This is also the first time that Prime Minister Modi has held a bilateral virtual summit. Australia may be part of the naval games India hosts with the US and Japan in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. A similar exercise in 2007 had annoyed China. Input News Agencies.

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