India, Australia, France eye rules-based Indo-Pacific amid China challenge

INDIA, Australia and France have vowed to jointly work towards a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific amid China's growing muscle-flexing in the region.

The overall situation in the Indo-Pacific came up for detailed deliberations at the third 'India-France-Australia trilateral focal points' meeting that took place in New Delhi on Wednesday (20).

"The three sides reviewed the progress made under the three pillars of trilateral cooperation: maritime safety and security, marine and environmental cooperation, and multilateral engagement," India's ministry of external affairs (MEA) said.

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It also added that the meeting identified new proposals for furthering the trilateral cooperation, including under the framework of the Indo Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) mechanisms.

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"India, Australia and France reaffirmed their commitment to advancing their shared values and working together towards a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific," the MEA said in a statement.

The IPOI is an open, inclusive, non-treaty based, global initiative that was announced by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi at the 14th East Asia Summit in November 2019 to promote collaborative efforts among like-minded nations to better manage, conserve and secure the Indo-Pacific maritime domain.

The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is an inter-governmental organisation aimed at strengthening regional cooperation.

The Indian side at the trilateral was led by Piyush Srivastava, joint secretary (Europe West) and Paramita Tripathi, joint secretary (Oceania and Indo-Pacific) at the MEA.

The French side was headed by Benoit Guidee, director (Asia and Oceania) in the French foreign ministry.

The Australian delegation was led by Sarah Storey, a first assistant secretary at Australian foreign ministry's South and Central Asia Division.

(With PTI inputs)