Canberra, Nov 5 :
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the India-China disengagement process is a positive development but the two sides have other challenges to address, including that of de-escalation.
Answering a question at a press conference in Canberra, alongside Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, he said that India and China had “on October 21 concluded the last lot of disengagement agreements. We’ve done some earlier, these are currently in the process of being implemented”.
He said the last agreement was primarily around patrolling rights of the two sides.
“So, we think all in all it’s a positive development; once it’s done the disengagement process is completed.
“We have other challenges to address including de-escalation of process.”
He said at the Kazan meeting between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, it was agreed that the foreign ministers and NSAs of the two sides would meet, “so we will have to look at further building on this”, he added.
Earlier, speaking on the India-Australia bilateral
India-China disengagement
engagement, he said today’s meeting with FM Wong for the Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue in Canberra was their third such dialogue and they would be meeting regularly.
“We are Comprehensive Strategic Partners and very important Quad partners. And in bilateral relations and beyond we have a good story to tell,” he added.
He said the two sides have started the annual summit practice. The ECTA has yielded results, he said, referring to the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), an interim trade agreement that came into effect on December 29, 2022. The agreement covers most goods traded between the two countries. He said the two sides are negotiating the way to the CECA – Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, to build on the outcomes of the ECTA.
EAM said the bilateral trade is at record levels, and stands at AUD 48 billion, and the two sides have opened more consulates, with an Australian one at Bengaluru and the Indian one at Brisbane, which he inaugurated yesterday.
He said Australian universities have opened establishments in India, with two having done so, and the visit of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was in that context.
On the defence partnership, the Australian Air Force was present at Tarang Shakti, the international air exercise hosted by India. The two sides are also doing the Raisina Dialogue Down Under, and hoped it would be a regular one.
EAM said he was in Brisbane yesterday for opening the Indian consulate, and was able to visit the HADR warehouse department, and expressed hope it can become a platform for further cooperation both bilaterally and with Quad.
He said he will be in Sydney tomorrow and hoped to do some business meetings there.
“Bilaterally it’s a strong report card,” EAM said, adding that they also discussed global issues, with discussions on their respective neighbourhoods, and the global situation, on Ukraine, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific.
“All in all, the practice of meeting regularly has shown how useful these are,” he added.
External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar expressed confidence on Tuesday that India-US relations would continue to grow steadily, regardless of the outcome of the US Presidential elections. Speaking at a joint press conference with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong at Parliament House in Canberra, EAM Jaishankar also credited former US President Donald Trump with reviving the QUAD alliance in 2017, marking a significant development in Indo-Pacific cooperation.
“We have seen steady progress in our relationship with the US over the last five presidencies, including a previous Trump presidency,” Jaishankar remarked in response to a question on how India-US ties may evolve after the elections.” So, when we look at the American election, we are confident that, regardless of the outcome, our relationship with the US will continue to grow,” he added.Highlighting the evolution of the QUAD — a strategic alliance among the US, India, Japan, and Australia — EAM Jaishankar noted, “I remind you that the Quad was actually revived under the Trump presidency in 2017.”
“I was then elevated from the level of a Permanent Secretary to a ministerial level, also during the Trump presidency. Interestingly, in the midst of COVID, when most physical meetings had stopped, one of the rare in-person meetings of foreign ministers was of the QUAD in Tokyo in 2020. That, I think, speaks about the strong prospects of the QUAD,” he added.
The outcome of the 2024 US Presidential election could be announced as early as Wednesday morning, though delays are possible, with results sometimes taking days, weeks, or even a month to finalise. On the eve of election day, over 78 million Americans had already cast their ballots as candidates Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump rallied in seven battleground states for closing remarks.
The US Presidential race is determined by electoral college votes rather than the national vote total, requiring at least 270 of the 538 electoral votes to secure a win. Each state’s electoral votes reflect its members in the US House of Representatives plus two Senate seats, ensuring proportional representation.
Early voting remains active, with more than 55 million registered voters having already cast their ballots in person or by mail.Meanwhile, EAM Jaishankar, currently on a two-nation tour, will be in Australia until November 7 and will visit Singapore on November 8. He arrived in Brisbane on Sunday, after which he addressed the Indian diaspora and inaugurated a new consulate.
During his visit, he co-chaired the 15th Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue (FMFD) with Australian FM Penny Wong. He informed about the meeting taking to X and posted, “Concluded the 15th India – Australia Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue with FM Penny Wong in Canberra today. Our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is growing steadily. Reflected in stronger political ties, robust defence & security cooperation, expanded trade, greater mobility and deeper educational linkages. Discussed our respective neighbourhoods, Indo-Pacific, West Asia, Ukraine and the global strategic scenario.”
