STUDENT MENTORING AND RESEARCH TRAINING (SMART) PROGRAM June-August 2022

Watershed Moment in Bilateral Ties

By Pooja Lakshmi, BBA LLB Hons. Student, Bennett University

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his former counterpart Scott Morrison witnessed the signing of the Economic Co-operation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) between India and Australia, which aims to increase bilateral trade to $50 billion in five years while facilitating the movement of people, goods, and services across borders.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to the agreement with Australia as a “watershed moment in bilateral ties,” and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal anticipates that it will contribute 10 lakh new employment to the nation over the following five years. According to the agreement, which will facilitate work visas for Indian students in Australia for two to four years on a “reciprocal basis” and allow Indian chefs and yoga practitioners to work Down Under, “together we will be able to increase the resilience of supply chains, and also contribute to the stability of the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.

Indian exports to Australia have been expanding at a rapid rate. The agreement will provide for zero duty access on over 96 percent of Indian exports, including several laborintensive industries, according to Mr. Goyal and according to Mr. Morrison, for Australian producers, manufacturers, and farmers, among many others, the agreement opens a massive door into the world’s fastest expanding major economy. Australia’s trade, tourism, and industry minister Dan Trehan said in a joint statement with Mr. Morrison that “tariffs will be eliminated on more than 85% of Australian goods exports to India (valued at more than $12.6 billion annually), rising to almost 91 % (valued at $13.4 billion over 10 years)”.

India-Australia Critical Mineral Partnership

By Sreejoni Baruah, BA LLB Student, Bennett University

Recently both India and Australia decided to strengthen their partnership in critical minerals, where Australia committed USD 5.8 million to the three-year India-Australia Critical Minerals Investment Partnership.

Critical minerals are the building blocks of important modern-day technologies and are at risk of supply chain disruptions. Different countries make their own lists depending on their own needs and other considerations. Mostly included are graphite, lithium, and cobalt. These minerals are used everywhere right from making mobile phones, electric vehicles, green technologies like solar panels and wind turbines, and computers to batteries.

Significance of this partnership

Since India has to fulfill its emissions and also India needs critical minerals for the space and defense industries, Australia can help India fulfill these ambitions with its resources.

India has a strong interest in diversifying its bilateral partnership with Australia through critical minerals and similar projects, this will also help India in expanding global trade and supply chains.

The China Challenge China is the world’s largest producer of 16 critical minerals, as per the 2019 US Geological Survey (USGS) Mineral Commodity Summaries report. China refines around 50-70% for lithium and cobalt, 35% for nickel, and nearly 90% for rare earth elements.

China is also responsible for global production. According to International Energy Agency, was responsible for some 70% and 60% of global production of cobalt and rare earth elements, respectively, in 2019.

Stand of different countries around this issue

Recently, the UK revealed its new Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre to study critical minerals in near future.

India has set, up KABIL, or the Khanij Bidesh India Limited, to ensure the mineral security of the nation.

The United States, after ordering a review of vulnerabilities in its critical minerals supply chains, has shifted its focus on expanding production, domestic mining, processing, and recycling of critical minerals.

As of 2020, different countries, have launched a map of critical mineral deposits to help governments to find out options to expand the sources of their critical minerals.

String of Pearls: Can China dominate the IOR?

By Ishaan Vats, BA LLB Hons. Student, Bennett University

Since 1962, with a dispute over the Aksai Chin region in the Himalayas, China has come a long way to continuously threaten the territorial integrity of India. The threat to India is not only posed at the borders but also through the sea routes as China under the Belt and Road Initiative (formerly known as the One Belt One Road or OBOR Initiative) is establishing military bases in India’s neighbour, Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka, Gwadar Port in Pakistan, etc. which is also famously known as the String of Pearls Policy (a name given by the United States in 2004).

Though the Chinese Officials claim that the initiative is to protect the trade interests of China, it is clear that China is trying to grow its presence in the Indian Ocean Region. The region is very crucial for India as about two-thirds of India’s oil imports and half of the liquified gas pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Not only India but other Southeast Asian countries and Oceania are also dependent on the IOR as their majority maritime trade passes through the region.

Thus, it is necessary for these countries especially India (in the light of the recent Sea Guardians 2 naval exercise between China and Pakistan) to have a stable relationship with each other to cope with the growing presence of China in the Indian Ocean Region and to combat China during the standoffs. Towards this India has taken significant steps such as actively participating in the ASEAN, QUAD, and other dialogues. India has also built strong relationships with Iran and Bangladesh which led to the stationing of the Indian Naval Force at the Chabahar Port in Iran and the Chittagong Port in Bangladesh.

Job and Skills in the Digital Transformation: A Gender Perspective

By Yashi Sharma, BA LLB Hons. Student, Bennett University

The nature and substance of occupations are changing as a result of the digital revolution, and this has an impact on the skills that are in demand. However, a sizable portion of the workforce may lack the abilities needed in this new technological paradigm and runs the risk of being left behind in a labour market that is heavily reliant on digital technology. Evidence from the “computer revolution”

of the 1980s and 1990s suggests that women may benefit more from digitalization than men due to their superior cognitive abilities compared to manual or motor skills and their superior interpersonal skills, which have become more crucial with the spread of computers. The existence of gender-specific returns to skills, which are investigated by keeping the skill endowment of workers constant, is one of the factors contributing to the persistence of gender wage inequalities. In other words, men are found to not only be better equipped with the abilities that are most in demand in the digital age, but they are also compensated higher for those skills in industries that rely heavily on technology.

While gender disparities still exist in many aspects of economies and society, tremendous progress has been made in recent decades to support girls’ education in all nations, regardless of economic development level. Closing the achievement gap between boys and girls in education will undoubtedly contribute to narrowing the skill and pay gaps between men and women in the job. Education has a clear impact on outcomes in the labour market at later stages of life. Since 2012, the majority of G20 economies have made significant strides toward closing the gender participation gap, with particularly significant declines seen in Brazil, Indonesia, and Japan. A few nations, most notably Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom, have already surpassed their goal because they saw a bigger drop in the gender gap than was necessary to keep on track.

India-Australia Framework for Security Cooperation

By Yuvraj Singh Varya, BA LLB Hons. Student, Bennett University

In diverse regions, the Framework for Security Cooperation represents a substantial advancement. It indicates a desire to expand on the relationships that have grown over the last few decades. The framework is expanded into new areas and enhances corporation in existing areas while strengthening collaboration in existing ones. The 2014 Framework indicates a gradual shift in Delhi’s perception of Australia as an essential regional partnership.

In September 2014, Tony Abbott’s visit to Delhi effectively eliminated uranium as a symbolically significant issue for India. Modi has shown far more faith than the former Indian government in putting India’s new defense and security alliances in the Indo-Pacific region into action.

The India-Australia partnership is evolving into a major bilateral relationship. The relationship between the two countries in various sectors includes regional security, counterterrorism, cyber, other non-traditional security domains, and assistance to victims and disaster relief (HADR). Furthermore, India and Australia are close allies for collaboration and cooperation due to shared democratic values, a shared love of sport, and economic and strategic interests.

In November 2014, PM Narendra Modi visited Australia, and one notable outcome of his visit was the formation of a Framework for Security Cooperation, which reflected the need for a comprehensive strategy for security and defense cooperation.

The Action Plan addresses a whole new area of collaboration in defense research and development, including engagements by Australian and Indian defense material delegates and efforts to build cooperative industry connections. The Action Plan also includes agreements to collaborate on border security, coast guard, and customs. This seems to be likely to become a more major area of engagement in the future. The Action Plan also promises to increase collaboration between Australian and Indian authorities with international search and rescue (SAR) duties.

Australia-India Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative Partnership

By Maitreyi Upadhyay, Student, B.B.A. LL. B. (Hons.), Bennett University, India

In order to support an open, inclusive, resilient, prosperous, and rules-based maritime order, the Australia-India Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative Partnership (AIIPOIP) helps to shape maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. The AIIPOIP created ideas and collaboration to start implementing the IPOI in 2020–21, which is influencing both government and nongovernment actors’ actions. The AIIPOIP is focused on developing areas of practical collaboration between Australia, India, and the Indo-Pacific in 2021–2022, notably in the fields of fighting marine plastic waste and marine ecology. These areas have been highlighted as priorities by the Australian and Indian governments.

In November 2019, at the 14th East Asia Summit in Bangkok, Prime Minister Modi made the IPOI announcement. The initiative encouraged greater cooperation between India and its regional allies in order to jointly protect the oceans, improve maritime security, protect marine resources, build capacity, fairly share resources, reduce the risk of disasters, and foster free, fair, and mutually beneficial trade, and advance maritime transportation. At the 14th East Asia Summit on November 4 in Bangkok, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), which is built on the following seven pillars which are Maritime Ecology, Maritime Security, Marine Resources, Capacity Building, and Resource Sharing, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation and Trade, Connectivity and Maritime Transport.

From 2020–21 through 2023–24, the AIIPOIP’s competitive open call grant round 1 and following rounds are expected to distribute up to $1.4 million. With a focus on plastic waste, Australia, the lead partner on the maritime ecology pillar, wants to promote scientific cooperation and exchange best practices on decreasing marine pollution throughout the Indo- Pacific.

Necklace of Diamonds: What does India have in Store for China?

By Siddhant Nagar, BA LLB Hons. Student, Bennett University

The Indian Ocean region has emerged as a key sector of India and China’s strategic interests, and this, has led to escalating competition for strategic influence in the IOR. There are strategies by both the nations which are at play to gain dominance in IOR; “The String of Pearls” by China, to which “The Necklace of Diamonds” by India is a counter-response. Though, these are not official strategies laid by the governments, they are interpretations by geopolitical thinkers.

China through its “Debt Trap Diplomacy,” under the name of economic expansion traps nations strategically located around India to borrow infrastructure loans, and when these nations are in debt, China forces them to aid its interests. Through the Debt Trap Policy and String of Pearls, China is creating a ring around India to get a stronghold in IOR.

As a response, India has started counter-encirclement of China with its Necklace of Diamond strategy. Under this strategy, India is expanding its naval and army bases across various countries strategically located near China. These bases include the Changi Naval Base in Singapore, Sabang Port in Indonesia, Duqm Port in Oman, Assumptions Island in Seychelles, and the Chabahar Port in Iran. India also through strategic cooperation with countries such as Japan, Mongolia, Vietnam, etc. is trying to counter the String of Pearls.

The strategy’s summarizing is that the necklace represents the connections between various places, which together form the shape of a necklace, and the diamonds represent specific locations. The link between these various areas is intended to resist China’s expansionism.

How India and Australia can Emerge as Leading Powers in the Quad

By Isha Raje, BBA LLB Hons. Student, Bennett University

India and Australia have preferred to emphasize what the Quad is for, as a like-minded grouping, rather than what the Quad is against, whether Russia or China. Minister Payne also stated that Quad’s agenda is positive. India and Australia in the Quad summit show the same strategy of developing as well as common viewpoints, interests, and beliefs that lead to positive results. The relationship between the countries seems to accelerate driven by economic and geopolitical factors over the last decade.

Minister Jaishankar and Minister Payne (Australian Foreign Minister) in a joint news conference presented high-level steps that expand on current agreements signed under the Australia-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. It included new Maitri series of initiatives to assist improve education and cultural relations between Australia and India including $A11.2 million for the Maitri Scholars Program, which promotes Indian students to study at Australian institutions, $A3.5 million for the Maitri Fellowships Program, which connects future leaders, and for the cultural partnership of Maitri, $A6.1 million.

After Modi visited Australia, the two countries signed a security framework agreement recognizing the significance of Indian Ocean defense cooperation. The two most powerful countries in the Indian Ocean region are India and Australia. The two nations also lead the Indian Ocean Regional Association (IORA), a formal gathering of Indian Ocean Littoral States. Indian Ocean Naval Symposium has Australia as the permanent participant, which brings the Indian Ocean region’s naïve close together.

Australia Cyber Framework Dialogue was held during the Quad summit, which was attended by both Foreign Ministers.

And the long-awaited Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), which involves the objective of an “early harvest” free trade agreement, will not only broaden investment opportunities in both countries but will also diversify market opportunities and minimize reliance on a single regional trading partner.

Tourist, of course, is linked to international student mobility, and both nations signed a new Memorandum of Understanding to boost travel between the two markets and expand collaboration on tourism policy, data exchange, training, and industry participation.

The statement by India, one of the world’s largest consumers of lentils, that it will reduce the 11% import duty on Australian lentils to zero is a prime example.