The Tuesday Interview | Indo-Pacific witnessing high levels of superpower contestation, says Australian High Commissioner Philip Green

There are three fundamental drivers behind bilateral relations. In terms of strategic alignment, we have a shared vision and shared concerns for the Indo-Pacific, he said.

Three months after taking over as the Australian High Commissioner to India, Philip Green spoke with DH’s R Krishnakumar on the shared interests that drive India-Australia relations, power assertions in the Indo-Pacific region, and the significance of a consulate general in Bengaluru. Green was in the city last week to attend the Bengaluru Tech Summit.

How is Australia placed to take its relations with India forward? What will be the key areas of partnership?

We are at a high point in terms of bilateral relations. Prime Minister Albanese has sent me here with a mandate to push this relationship as far and as fast as we can. There are three fundamental drivers behind bilateral relations. In terms of strategic alignment, we have a shared vision and shared concerns for the Indo-Pacific. The level of convergence of perspectives at our two-plus-two ministerial meeting (on November 20) was high. There will be more interaction at the diplomatic and military levels. The second is the economic component. We have operationalized the first phase of our Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), which is easing business ties. The third driver is what we call the human bridge--nearly a million people of Indian origin in Australia who are making an outsized contribution to our nation and are more involved in civil society than other community groups. We see this as a force multiplier in driving our economic ties.

Can you elaborate on the shared concerns over the Indo-Pacific?

The region is undergoing a high level of superpower contestation. There are risks of conflict that are, perhaps, of a higher order than we have seen for decades. We are seeing high levels of militarisation; there are the occasional unsafe activities at sea and in the air, and there are cyber attacks. There is massive unmet potential in the Indo-Pacific. We are buoyant about the future, but there are clouds on the horizon. In line with Australian foreign policy, we will use our agency to ensure that our region remains peaceful and that the fundamental freedoms and sovereignty of states to pursue their national interests without interference are supported.

Prime Minister Albanese’s visit to China comes after a phase of strained bilateral ties.

We are stabilising our relationship with China. A level of engagement with China can be beneficial to both of our societies, and, probably, to the region. But that doesn’t change the fact that we have differences with China–what we say is that we will work with China where we can and disagree where we must. We have concerns about the military buildup in China, which is the fastest anywhere since World War 2. It is also happening without a level of strategic reassurance in the public domain that would allow us to understand its purpose. But we look at engagement as an important tool for managing differences. That was also well understood by the Indian side when our ministers met.

How integral is climate action to Australia’s relations with India?

It is a very important vertical built on three components. Australia has substantial reserves of critical minerals, and we are facilitating access to them for many Indian companies and the government. Secondly, the world will need a massive number of solar panels to attain our climate goals. India is likely to be a major manufacturer of these panels. There is high-quality solar technology available in Australia, and we want to bring that to India. Also significant are the deposits of magnetite iron ore in Australia that can enable the production of green steel in India at a low cost.

Where do Karnataka and Bengaluru figure in the pitch for higher levels of bilateral collaboration?

We have chosen to open a consulate-general in Bengaluru because we see it as an important part of the Indian economic ecosystem and because it is a tech centre. We have a consul-general (Hilary McGeachy) with around 20 staff–many of them work for Austrade, our trade and investment commission. They have the mandate to support our businesses coming into India and Indian businesses that want to invest in Australia. The first thing that I wanted to underline to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge was that we are taking Bengaluru and Karnataka seriously. We talked (during our meetings) about the additional infrastructure we might need, which might include a special memorandum or letter of understanding. What will really drive our economic engagement will be our businesseses coming, seeing, and engaging with Indian businesses.

What are Australia’s takeaways from the Bengaluru Tech Summit?

We came in with three delegations on technology, water, and critical minerals. BTS is an important part of the calendar for us. India is the fifth largest economy, and tech is a key vertical for us. Australia has a small population, and we are not a big market. For our firms to scale, they need to find partners outside. We are making an effort to see if the Indian ecosystem is a place where Australian innovation can grow.