Rajnath Singh’s Australia Visit: Defence, Indo-Pacific Top Agenda

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be in Canberra on Thursday for discussions about the Indo-Pacific with Richard Marles, his Australian counterpart. Marles is also the deputy prime minister. Singh will also be in Sydney for a defence conclave, where Aatmanirbhar India will be an issue. Australia is part of the Quad, which includes India, Japan and the United States of America. The same four countries are part of Exercise Malabar, an annual naval war game either off the coast of India or in the Pacific. Two major issues are on the table. There could be better information (euphemism for intelligence) sharing between the two countries, something particularly important in this era of a turbulent Indo-Pacific, with many countries complaining about Chinese

high-handedness. The other issue could be closer maritime cooperation. This is also of importance keeping in mind the Indian Ocean and the increased presence of Chinese warships in recent years. Both sides believe that Indo-Australian defence cooperation has considerable potential.