The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : “Australia focussing foreign policy on India, China”

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Thursday, Feb 07, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

“Australia focussing foreign policy on India, China”

Special Correspondent

Nuclear issue will not affect the “upward trend” in relations: McCarthy

“Rise of India as
a major economic power brings strategic benefits to the region”

— Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

MAKING HIS POINT: (From left) John McCarthy, Australian High Commissioner, C.P. Ravindranathan, former Indian High Commissioner to Australia, and V.R. Raghavan, president, Centre for Security Analysis, at a public lecture in Chennai on Wednesday.

CHENNAI: India has a key role to play in creating a stable “multi-polar” Asia and ensuring that the politics of the region is not dominated by any one power, Australian High Commissioner to India John McCarthy said here on Wednesday.

Mr. McCarthy urged the Indian government to play a more active role in the political and economic affairs of the Asia-Pacific region.

“Southeast Asia is one of the most ignored areas of the Indian foreign policy,” he said. “It is unfortunate that India is not a member of an organisation like the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC). It is the foremost economic grouping in the Asia-Pacific region, and as India grows it is important that it becomes a member.”

He said the rise of India as a major economic power brought “strategic benefits” to the region. “And by this, I do not mean the containment of China. The propensity for stability will be that much greater with a multi-polar Asia. While it is good to see the growth of China, at the same time there are benefits of having a strong Japan as well.”

Mr. McCarthy said the recently elected Labour Government in his country was focussing its foreign policy on India and China.

He said Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s government would be “more internationalist” than the previous John Howard regime, involving itself more with the United Nations as well as in global nuclear non-proliferation.

Clarifying Australia’s position with regard to India’s nuclear programme, Mr. McCarthy said the decision to not export uranium to India had no bearing on Australia’s stand in the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group, contrary to recent reports in the Indian media. “Our decision has no relation to the position we will take in the NSG… They are two separate issues.”

With increasing economic ties between the countries – India is the fourth largest destination for Australian exports – Mr. McCarthy said that the nuclear issue would not affect the “upward trend” in India-Australia relations.

India imports large quantities of gold, copper, coal, wool and wheat from Australia, and total imports were valued at around US$ 8.5 billion last year. Mr. McCarthy said there were further opportunities for economic co-operation in areas such as construction, infrastructure, financial services as well as in education and two-way research.

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