Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said that the “answer to almost every question about China is India.”
In an opinion piece published in The Australian newspaper, Abbott argued that it is in everyone's best interests that India reclaims its proper place among countries as quickly as possible especially China) is becoming more belligerent with each passing day.
“With the world’s other emerging superpower becoming more belligerent almost by the day, it’s in everyone’s interests that India take its rightful place among the nations as quickly as possible,” Abbott wrote.
According to Abbott, who was in India last week as Australian special trade envoy, India and Australia are bolstering their trade negotiating teams with the goal of reaching a "early harvest" deal by the end of this year.
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Tony Abbott emphasised that Australia needs to break away from Beijing and claimed that India was a “natural partner” for his country.
Abbott said that India is Australia's seventh-largest trading partner, with an annual trade turnover of approximately $30 billion, and that despite tariffs and mutual views that neither nation is always a good place to do business, neither country is always a good place to do business.
He also stated in his opinion piece that China's "daunting strength is a result of the free world's decision to welcome a communist dictatorship into global commercial networks."
Abbott supervised a bilateral free trade agreement with China under his tenure as Australia's prime minister, that went into force in 2015, as well as a state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping the year before. However, ties between Beijing and Canberra have deteriorated after Australia barred Chinese telecom firm Huawei from critical communications infrastructure contracts and demanded for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus.
Following a severe disagreement last year when Canberra supported Washington's request for an investigation into the origins of the covid-19 epidemic, Australia has been searching for new trade partners in an effort to decrease its economic dependency on China. The action infuriated China, whose relations with Australia were already strained after Canberra prohibited.
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Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE have been barred from pitching gear and technology for Australian 5G networks in 2018. China reacted by imposing prohibitions on Australian meat and wine, as well as hefty taxes on barley.
According to a statement published by the Prime Minister's Office(PMO), Abbott met with PM Modi last Thursday and discussed ways to further expand bilateral trade, investment, and economic cooperation in order to realise the full potential of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They emphasised that further economic cooperation between India and Australia will aid both nations in realising their shared goal of a peaceful, safe, and affluent Indo-Pacific region.
