(Video) Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV) The Big Picture: India-Australia First Virtual Summit

Topic: India-Australia First Virtual Summit

Guest:

Navdeep Singh Suri, (Former Ambassador)
Patrick Gerard Buchan, (Director, Center for Strategic and International Studies)
Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha (Retd.), Defence Expert)

Topic Description:

India and Australia on Thursday elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, signed seven key agreements including a landmark pact for reciprocal access to military bases and another on rare earth minerals during an online summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison. Against the backdrop of their frosty relations with China, the two countries also unveiled a 'shared vision for maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific', a region which has been witnessing growing Chinese military assertiveness triggering concerns among major players. There has been strain in ties between Australia and China after Canberra pitched for an international probe into the origin of the coronavirus.