PM Modi's Australia visit to boost defence and trade ties, say experts

Canberra, Jul 7 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Australia this week will strengthen ties between New Delhi and Canberra, and help both sides play a larger role in keeping the Indo-Pacific stable and secure, at a time when the region faces security challenges, experts said. Modi’s visit will help both countries work together on key sectors such as defence, trade and technology, they said. During the three-day visit to Melbourne from July 8 to 10, Modi will meet Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for talks. He will also call on Governor General Sam Mostyn, address a gathering of top business leaders at the India-Australia CEOs Forum and meet members of the diaspora. As both nations seek to build a stronger partnership, experts noted that the Indo-Pacific is becoming increasingly important as major powers compete for influence in the region. Former Australian Senator Lisa Singh, who is the chief executive officer of the Australia India Institute, highlighted the importance of the visit at this juncture. Strengthening the India-Australia partnership "sends an important message, not just to each other, but to developing nations in our region that Australia and India want to play a leading role in creating security and prosperity for all," she told PTI over an email. Singh pointed to defence ties and maritime security as key areas of cooperation. "Australia has recognised through its national defence strategy the role it needs to play in the Indian Ocean, a theatre that India has been leading in for decades," she said. On energy, Singh said, "If Australia can assist in the delivery of clean energy to India through the supply of uranium, then that is a win-win for both nations." Frederic Grare, senior research fellow at ANU National Security College, however, offered a cautious view. He said earlier visits had promised much but delivered little. Grare saw trade as the main opportunity. "New steps towards a broader Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement would be a possible outcome. The growth of two-way trade has been significant over the past few years and negotiations are continuing," he said. Australia is India's 14th-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade in goods and services valued at USD 24.1 billion in 2025-26. The visit will give fresh momentum to negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press briefing last week in New Delhi. India and Australia are actively negotiating a CECA to build upon the foundational Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, which entered into force in 2022. Grare said that both sides "may also explore other opportunities across critical minerals, renewable energy, digital technology and investment." "Modi will be the first Indian prime minister to visit Australia three times, which in itself is quite unique and significant. It emphasises the importance both countries attach to their bilateral relations," Pradeep Taneja, senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne, told PTI. Modi’s previous official visits to Australia were in 2014 and 2023. Taneja expected India and Australia to update their security cooperation framework. "It is expected that the 2009 Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation might be updated, introducing new security pillars to the bilateral security cooperation framework," Taneja said. The 2009 agreement formally designated the bilateral relationship as a "strategic partnership," which was later upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2020. "It is important that Australia, India and Japan keep the Quad alive through bilateral and trilateral cooperation among themselves, for the pressure from China that the Quad member countries face is unlikely to abate any time soon," he said. The Quad is an informal grouping of India, Australia, Japan and the United States that works with a commitment to support an open, free and inclusive Indo-Pacific. Salvatore Babones, associate professor at the University of Sydney, said Modi's visit is important because Australian politics often distracts the government from focusing on India. However, Babones warned that India-Australia ties remain weak overall. "The India-Australia relationship is remarkably thin. Whether you look at security, trade, or investment, ties between these two Indian Ocean neighbours are much weaker than they should be," he told PTI. Ian Hall, professor at Griffith University, expected concrete results. "I expect to see a significant defence agreement signed at the summit, as well as more commitments to expand bilateral trade and investment flows. I hope that we see some deals made on critical minerals, moving beyond past promises to concrete commitments," he said. "Both sides still have some work to do to improve their understanding of each other's priorities and positions, as well as to coordinate their work to ensure that the Indo-Pacific remains peaceful and stable. We could also do more on energy, given Australia's abundant natural resources, including gas," he said in an email. PTI FHK ABD ABD