“Their students are either the top or the second-top group of students coming to study in Australia,and they make up the top or the second-top group of migrants coming into Australia.”
While the public aspects of the prime minister’s visit have featuredthe colour of the Holi festival and the theatre of an appearance with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the cricket,the talks behind the scenes have been about faster progress on trade and investment.
One controversy emerged during the trip when Albanese was asked about theModi administration’s punishment of the BBC for airing a documentary that criticised the Indian leader over riots that killed Muslims when he was the chief minister of Gujarat.
With the events raising concerns about freedom of the press,Albanese responded by citing a statement by Foreign Minister Penny Wong that she had engaged with her Indian counterpart on the matter.
“I have discussions based upon Australia’s values and I’m consistent about that,” Albanese said.
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“Australia stands up for press freedom. But India is a great democracy. And to dismiss that is,I think,wrong.”
Energy Minister Chris Bowen haswarned about future supply of renewable technology,given China’s dominance of solar panel production,and Albanese on Friday talked up the potential for Indian investment with Australia in solar.
Albanese announced a new Centre for Australia-India Relations on Friday,with Tim Thomas as chief executive,and said he wanted a full Comprehensive Economic Co-operation Agreement finalised this year.
Farrell held ateleconference with Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao on February 6 and was invited to fly to Beijing “in the near future” for more talks.
Asked if a date had been set,Farrell said:“No,but it’s getting sooner.”
The trade minister said the growth in Indian trade did not mean replacing China given the scale of Chinese trade.
“Our two-way trade with China last year was near enough to $300 billion,far and away our largest trading partner,” he said.
“They’re larger than Japan,Korea,the United States,France and England put together,so it’s a big market.
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“We’ve had a set of trade difficulties with China. But again,we’ve started to stabilise that relationship.
“I’m planning to go to China,and try and open the door to those other Australian products that have been subjected to difficulties.”
Those trade challenges have includedChinese curbs on Australian coal,barley,wine,lobsters and other products,but Farrell said shipments were resuming even though China had not formally announced any change.
“Anecdotally,it doesn’t matter which product that you’re talking about,something’s happening,” he said.
“The problems didn’t occur overnight. They’re not going to be solved overnight.
“You’ve got to remember the words that Chinese Trade Minister Wang said to me,and they were quite deliberate.
“He said:‘The freeze is over. We’re moving to a warm spring’. Now,he didn’t say that by accident. That was,I think,a positive sign.”
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