Death Rattle
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India is a big player in Asia-Pacific, says Australia.
Sachin Parashar, TNN | Nov 2, 2012, 10.38AM IST
Article
External affairs minister Salman Khurshid shakes hands with Richard Marles, parliamentary secretary, department of foreign affairs and trade of Australia at a meeting on the sidelines of 12th IOR-ARC Council of ministers meeting in New Delhi.
NEW DELHI: In the latest great game unfolding in the Asia-Pacific, India is as big a player as the US and China, says Australia's Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Richard Marles who is in India to represent Australia in the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation. In an exclusive interview to Sachin Parashar, Marles also says Australia backs the demand for a code of conduct in South China Sea which Beijing continues to oppose. 1. 19 countries spread across 3 continents.
Do you think IOR-ARC has been able to achieve what it set out to achieve 15 years ago?
I think we all had great hopes from IOR-ARC and every one would agree that most of the ambitions remain unfulfilled. But it is still there. From the point of looking at it as glass half full, there's good work which it has done and we are very keen to support India in its chairmanship role. India has done great work in revitalizing IOR and Australia as vice chair is doing everything to support India's work and is also looking forward to taking over chairmanship next year. Indian Ocean is a huge channel of commerce. So much of world shipping goes through the Indian Ocean and India and Australia have a joint interest in working together in the region. IOR is doing excellent work in terms of maritime safety standards, port standards as well as in looking at combating piracy.
How do you look at this whole strategic shift to the Asia-Pacific with US looking at transferring more and more of its naval capabilities to the region and in the face of an increasingly assertive China?
We do have a long term security alliance with the US but China is a huge part of economic future of Australia and getting the balance right is one of the real challenges for the Australian foreign policy. But you could easily say that of countries in ASEAN region and Japan and South Korea - in many ways the US itself because it is the biggest trading partner of China. The other point and which is going to be increasingly significant is the rise of India. We see our economic engagement as going from strength to strength. India is Australia's fourth largest export market. We see India as a strong and largest democracy in the world and in that regard we have shared values which are critically important. India will become as significant an economic partner for Australia as China is. When you talk about balancing US and China in the region, India is just as big a player.
What about the growing Chinese aggression in South China Sea through which passes a major part of world trade?
An awful lot of trade passes through South China Sea and we are concerned about what is happening there. We believe that the more dialogue that can occur between China and countries like Philippines, the better it will be. We want to see an ongoing process of dialogue and commitment on the part of all parties to a process which will work for a resolution that allows trade and commerce to continue.
Does Australia back the demand by several ASEAN countries that there be a multilateral code of conduct for governing South China Sea?
There is merit in the code of conduct but principally we look at it as an issue in which parties need to sit around a table and make sure their competing claims are sorted out that way. We want the competing claims to be sorted out under a rules based order, consistent with the law of the sea but making sure all that happens in a sensible, level-headed way.
As the countries discuss a uranium safeguards agreement, what are the assurances you are looking at from India before you start supply of uranium to India?
India has civil use agreements with other countries in the world and that is a bit of a guide on what kind of agreement would ultimately come about but the important point is that we acknowledged the ban on selling uranium to India as a policy of the Australian government was outdated and made no sense. India is also a massive country - a rising economic power. One of the most important social phenomena to occur in the world in the next decade will be the rise of the Indian middle class and we want trade and business with India. By the way, we have some cultural connections as well in terms of cricket and Commonwealth. India is a country we want to be doing more with rather than less.
India is a big player in Asia-Pacific, says Australia - The Times of India
Sachin Parashar, TNN | Nov 2, 2012, 10.38AM IST
Article
External affairs minister Salman Khurshid shakes hands with Richard Marles, parliamentary secretary, department of foreign affairs and trade of Australia at a meeting on the sidelines of 12th IOR-ARC Council of ministers meeting in New Delhi.
NEW DELHI: In the latest great game unfolding in the Asia-Pacific, India is as big a player as the US and China, says Australia's Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Richard Marles who is in India to represent Australia in the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation. In an exclusive interview to Sachin Parashar, Marles also says Australia backs the demand for a code of conduct in South China Sea which Beijing continues to oppose. 1. 19 countries spread across 3 continents.
Do you think IOR-ARC has been able to achieve what it set out to achieve 15 years ago?
I think we all had great hopes from IOR-ARC and every one would agree that most of the ambitions remain unfulfilled. But it is still there. From the point of looking at it as glass half full, there's good work which it has done and we are very keen to support India in its chairmanship role. India has done great work in revitalizing IOR and Australia as vice chair is doing everything to support India's work and is also looking forward to taking over chairmanship next year. Indian Ocean is a huge channel of commerce. So much of world shipping goes through the Indian Ocean and India and Australia have a joint interest in working together in the region. IOR is doing excellent work in terms of maritime safety standards, port standards as well as in looking at combating piracy.
How do you look at this whole strategic shift to the Asia-Pacific with US looking at transferring more and more of its naval capabilities to the region and in the face of an increasingly assertive China?
We do have a long term security alliance with the US but China is a huge part of economic future of Australia and getting the balance right is one of the real challenges for the Australian foreign policy. But you could easily say that of countries in ASEAN region and Japan and South Korea - in many ways the US itself because it is the biggest trading partner of China. The other point and which is going to be increasingly significant is the rise of India. We see our economic engagement as going from strength to strength. India is Australia's fourth largest export market. We see India as a strong and largest democracy in the world and in that regard we have shared values which are critically important. India will become as significant an economic partner for Australia as China is. When you talk about balancing US and China in the region, India is just as big a player.
What about the growing Chinese aggression in South China Sea through which passes a major part of world trade?
An awful lot of trade passes through South China Sea and we are concerned about what is happening there. We believe that the more dialogue that can occur between China and countries like Philippines, the better it will be. We want to see an ongoing process of dialogue and commitment on the part of all parties to a process which will work for a resolution that allows trade and commerce to continue.
Does Australia back the demand by several ASEAN countries that there be a multilateral code of conduct for governing South China Sea?
There is merit in the code of conduct but principally we look at it as an issue in which parties need to sit around a table and make sure their competing claims are sorted out that way. We want the competing claims to be sorted out under a rules based order, consistent with the law of the sea but making sure all that happens in a sensible, level-headed way.
As the countries discuss a uranium safeguards agreement, what are the assurances you are looking at from India before you start supply of uranium to India?
India has civil use agreements with other countries in the world and that is a bit of a guide on what kind of agreement would ultimately come about but the important point is that we acknowledged the ban on selling uranium to India as a policy of the Australian government was outdated and made no sense. India is also a massive country - a rising economic power. One of the most important social phenomena to occur in the world in the next decade will be the rise of the Indian middle class and we want trade and business with India. By the way, we have some cultural connections as well in terms of cricket and Commonwealth. India is a country we want to be doing more with rather than less.
India is a big player in Asia-Pacific, says Australia - The Times of India
