Describing India as an Indo-Pacific power, a top Australian Opposition politician on Monday backed further strengthening of relations between New Delhi and Canberra by doing more than simply navigating the "slipstream of great power competition" to shape the region's future.
Penny Wong, the Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman, while speaking at a Australia-India Leadership Dialogue held here, said ''It is true that the growing strategic competition between the US and China is the defining narrative of these times. It warrants our attention, but not always in the way it is given.
"The strategic competition in our region means we need to think carefully and engage actively to avoid becoming collateral," she said.
Australia must "do more than simply navigate the slipstream of great power competition and strengthen ties with India to shape the Indo-Pacific region we want, she said.
"We must do what we can to shape the region we want,'' she said, adding that India was a crucial part of multipolar region Australia wanted.
The US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's rising military maneuvering in the region.
The US has high stakes in the South China Sea and it has asserted its right to free passage on international sea lanes. China claims almost all of the strategic South China Sea as its territory while Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam oppose Beijing's claim.
Highlighting the converging interests between India and Australia, Wong said ''as the world's biggest democracy, it is no surprise that India not only values the global rules-based order but seeks to strengthen and shape it in its own right.''
"'But we also have converging strategic interests and a shared desire to shape our region. India and Australia can give form to these converging interests not only through inclusive regional institutions that promote economic integration and resilience.''
Referring to the former Australian High commissioner Peter Varghese's comprehensive India Economic Strategy, Wong said ''we should also be taking advantage of India's growing innovation and technology credentials.''
During her speech, Wong also pinpointed the Jammu and Kashmir issue saying ''We encourage the peaceful settlement of the final status of Jammu and Kashmir, underscored by the protection of human rights that will ultimately ensure the region's stability and economic recovery.''
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