Indo Pacific Security construct in 2021 stands distinctly defined by the QUAD Security Initiative or better termed as QUAD Coalition comprising United States, Japan, Australia and India.
Needless to reiterate that the strategic impulses that led to a revival of the QUAD in 2017 after lying dormant since 2007 was China's switch from 'Soft Power' strategies to exercise of 'Hard Power' military muscle options in conflictual flash-points across the Indo Pacific from India's Himalayan Borders with China Occupied Tibet to the 'Seas'of the Western Pacific.
Australia though lying distant from these conflictual areas did not escape China's disruptive strategic gaze for multiple reasons ranging from Australia's concerns on China's strategic intrusiveness into the South Pacific, Australia's concerns on China's South China Sea depredations and surfacing of China-instigated trade issues arising from Australia's geopolitical stances siding with United States and Japan.
In 2021, unlike in the past, when there were more strategic divergences between Australia and India, it has been observed that today there are more strategic convergences between Australia and India.
Australia and India strategic convergences for nearly a decade started evolving on the growing China Threat figuring commonly in both countries' Threat Perceptions.
In 2020, Australia and India finally decided to give concrete shape to their strategic convergences by signing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement which was to be the blueprint of enhanced security, defence and economic cooperation.
The significance of the Australia-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership lies not only in the bilateral context but more significantly in the wider context of the Indo Pacific Security construct of which the centerpiece now is the QUAD Coalition.
Till now, India had Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships in the QUAD Coalition only with the United States and Japan. With the same being signed with Australia now. India now is strategically intertwined with all the QUAD Coalition partners.
Besides the strategic and security advantages that flow in with this institutionalized Strategic Partnership, Australia and India stand to gain significantly in economic cooperation, especially uranium supplies. Defence technology exchanges is another area earmarked for prioritization including Space Technologies.
Concluding, it needs to be significantly noted that with the intensification of security cooperation among the QUAD Coalition partners, China stands ruffled and seriously concerned to the point that in in official public assertions China is issuing veiled threats on QUAD's longevity.
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