A Guide to India-Australia Relations

For the first time in India’s diplomatic history a summit was held on a virtual platform. On 4th June 2020 Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed a range of issues with his Australian counterpart, Prime Minister Scott Morrison. This summit is significant for a variety of reasons. The very first one is the context – it has taken place amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. It is only natural that the bilateral relationship would be seen with China as a factor, and that is indeed true. But besides China, India and Australia have several other non-traditional security challenges to work upon. The current pandemic has only reiterated how devastating a trans-national and non-traditional issue can get. Yet this article would analyse the current state of bilateral relations with China as the variable. Afterall, the COVID-19 crisis is a result of China’s lack of responsibility. It is also the most accurate variable to understand the bilateral relationship.