The Australian government is seeking to win India commercially and as a strong partner capable of countering China’s growing military, diplomatic and economic influence in the Pacific region.
Australia vowed Tuesday to seek to take relations with India “to the next stage” as it welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a visit to Canberra to focus on trade and avoid criticism of his government.
The Australian government is seeking to win India commercially and as a strong partner capable of countering China’s growing military, diplomatic and economic influence in the Pacific region.
On Tuesday, Modi will address a crowd of supporters at a 21,000-capacity stadium in Sydney, at an event attended by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Albanese’s presence was an unusual personal expression of support for Modi, a nationalist leader seeking re-election next year who has been criticized for the decline of democracy in his era and his discrimination against non-Hindus.
Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marls stressed the “strategic alignment” between Australia and India.
“(The visit) really gives the opportunity to take the relationship to the next stage,” he told broadcaster ABC, echoing comments from Modi.
On Monday, Modi began his first visit to Australia since 2014, when he came to power.
Over the last decade, India’s economic performance has been mixed as the country made mistakes that negatively affected growth even though hundreds of millions of people were lifted out of poverty.
Today, it is the second fastest growing economy in the G-20, a market worth trillions of dollars.
Blatant targeting of minorities
But on the political front, the “world’s largest democracy” has become less free and more dangerous for Modi’s opponents, according to Elian Pearson of Human Rights Watch.
“The government led by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party is tightening its grip on civil society and using repressive laws to arrest and intimidate activists, journalists, opposition leaders, academics, peaceful protesters and opponents of government policies,” it said.
Rights groups say India’s 200 million Muslims have suffered the most from discrimination and violence since Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (Indian People’s Party) came to power in 2014.
She noted that Australia should be “frank in raising the issue of human rights with Modi, and point out that his government’s actions refute its international claims about preserving democratic principles.”
But there was no sign of Modi facing criticism at the Kudos Arena in Sydney on Tuesday, as Modi and Albanese’s arrival was followed by a series of praises for the Indian leader.
When asked whether Australia would raise the issue of India’s treatment of Muslims and other minorities, Marls refused to go into details of an upcoming summit between Modi and Albanese in Sydney on Wednesday.
‘massive economy’
The two countries are seeking to expand mutual trade, which was estimated at 46.5 billion Australian dollars (31 billion US dollars) last year and which is expected to increase after a free trade agreement entered into force in December last year.
During his visit to Australia, Modi will head to the country’s second-largest and fastest-growing community, knowing that 673,000 Indian-born citizens live in the country of 26 million.
Jai Shah, director of the Indian Australian Community Foundation, predicted there would be “euphoria” during the upcoming rally at the stadium in Sydney on Tuesday.
When asked about the concerns associated with the way minorities are treated in India, Shah said he could not understand this kind of accusation against India. “We respect all different points of view,” he told AFP.
But “large groups” of members of the Indian community oppose the Modi government’s treatment of minorities, according to Bilal Rauf, spokesman for the Australian Federal Imams Council.
“We are very concerned about this visit and the way he was welcomed without raising any of the issues of concern in his country,” he told AFP.
“These issues of concern relate to the blatant and public actions taken against minorities, especially Muslims, and people in Kashmir,” he added.
“We hope our leaders will raise the issue,” he stressed.
