Massive acceleration, 66% surge in India's exports to Australia in last five years: Envoy Philip Green

New Delhi, April 12: Australian High Commissioner to India, Philip Green, highlighted the evolving dynamics of global power and regional partnerships. He emphasised that the United States remains the "apex of global power." Regarding trade, he pointed out that India's exports to the world have increased by 35 per cent in the last five years, with exports to Australia growing by 66% during the same period.

Green also noted the significant progress of the Quad grouping, which has transformed from "informal meetings to formal summits," with growing commitment among its members, the Quad is now a "key strategic framework." The Quad is a grouping of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States.

While addressing the 9th Carnegie Global Technology Summit, Green said, "There is a new figure of speech in the department of foreign affairs and trade in Canberra... Mr Trump won the election on the mandate of change. So none of us should be surprised that change is coming in Washington, and we have to adapt to it. That's the reality of politics. What we are being reminded of is how salient the US is in global affairs. They talk about a group of powers equal to the US, but that's not true. The US is still the apex of global power. Australia and India understand that."

He added, "The Quad has come a long way since its early days under Trump, evolving from informal meetings to formal summits and foreign ministers' gatherings. With growing commitment from all members, the Quad is now a key strategic framework that is continually maturing and becoming more effective."

On India-Australia trade, Green stated, "India's exports to world have grown by 35% in the last five years, and exports to Australia has grown by 66% in the same period. Massive acceleration in the character of our trade..."

While speaking on the regional conflicts and climate change, Green said, "The reality is we live in a time of great power contestation, and that makes it harder for the global community and Aussie diplomats to take enough time out to deal with the regional problems and this huge generational problem of climate change... The countries of the size of Australia need to engage with utmost urgency to try to resolve these problems."

Meanwhile, Ashok Malik, Partner and Chair, The Asia Group (American strategic advisory firm) said that while Washington may view itself as the "capital of global power," India regards it simply as the US capital.

"Washington may see itself as the capital of global power or the global sector, but in India, we just see it as the capital of the US. We deal with the president of the day, with realism and, hopefully, agility," Ashok said.

Reader Comments

Here are 6 diverse user comments for the article:

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Priya K.

Those export numbers are impressive! 👏 Shows how much potential there is in the India-Australia trade relationship. Hope this momentum continues with more sectors opening up.

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Rahul S.

Interesting perspective on the US still being the apex power. While I agree they're dominant, I think Green underestimates how much influence China has gained in recent years.

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Anjali M.

The Quad's evolution is remarkable - from being almost written off to becoming a key strategic framework. Shows what sustained diplomacy can achieve. More power to this partnership!

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Sanjay P.

While the trade growth is positive, I wish the article had more details about which sectors are driving this 66% increase. Is it manufacturing? IT? Agriculture? More specifics would help.

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Neha T.

Love seeing India strengthen ties with democratic partners like Australia! 🇮🇳🤝🇦🇺 The economic and strategic benefits are clear. Hope we see more student exchange programs too!

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Vikram J.

The climate change point is crucial. While we focus on trade and geopolitics, we can't lose sight of environmental cooperation between our countries. That's the real long-term challenge.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.