India and Australia
have agreed to work together in the World Trade Organisation
(WTO) for implementation of the Doha Development Agenda without
dilution. Both the countries have exchanged views on regional
cooperation and trade agreements, including WTO matters and
expressed concern at the high level of agricultural support
and protection by many developed countries, which distort world
agricultural markets. This is indicated in the Agreed Minutes
of the 8th Session of the India-Australia Joint Ministerial
Commission (JMC) signed here today by Shri Arun Jaitley, Minister
of Commerce & Industry and Law & Justice on behalf of
the Government of India and by Mr. Mark Vaile, Australian Minister
for Trade, who led their respective delegations at the three-day
meeting. Both sides reiterated their commitment to retaining
special & differential treatment for developing countries.
They also expressed disappointment at the lack of consensus
on TRIPs & Public Health. Shri Dipak Chatterjee, Commerce
Secretary, was present on the occasion along with Shri Vinay
Bansal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce & Industry,
besides Ms. Penny Wensley, the Australian High Commission to
India and other members of the high-level Australian delegation
accompanying Mr. Vaile.
The Ministers noted
with satisfaction the increasingly diverse and substantial nature
of commercial relationship between India and Australia as well
as the scope for further expansion of commercial ties between
the two countries in both existing and new areas. India and
Australia have a two-way trade of approximately US $ 1.7 billion
(2001-02) with the balance of trade in favour of Australia at
US $ 1.3 billion. Australian exports to India are mainly coal
and wool while Indian exports include cotton yarn, fabrics and
footwear.
The discussions
covered all sectors of mutual interest such as energy, minerals,
IT, telecommunications, tourism, education, quarantine regulations,
market access and regional and multilateral trade. Both the
Ministers agreed to expand direct investment and cooperation
between the two countries in areas like telecommunications,
power, roads & highways, ports, airports, IT, biotechnology,
tourism, chemicals, and manufacturing & energy related sectors
including coal and LNG. It was noted that in the past 11 years,
upto October 2002, a total of 7500 FDI proposal had been approved
amounting to US $ 2 billion.
On bilateral issues
relating to specific products, the two sides agreed to examine
expanding the scope of the present MOU for fish & fisheries
products between the Export Inspection Council (EIC) of India
and the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS)
to cover other items like rice, honey, tea, cashew, milk products,
basmati rice, spices, egg products, poultry and meat products.
The possibility of entering into similar MOUs with the Department
of Animal Husbandry for animal quarantine and certification
services will also be examined.
Australia will
also send a technical team to examine harvesting and pest treatment
of mangoes for export to Australia.
The presentation
made by the Joint Working Group on Energy & Minerals set
up under the last JMC identified several areas of cooperation
such as regulatory reforms in the energy sector, supply of LNG
on a reliable and cost competitive basis, supply of coal to
power stations, coal mining, clean coal technologies, coal washeries,
underground gasification, coal bed methane prospecting, participation
in bids for petroleum exploration, mine closure practices, fly
ash disposal, assistance in exploitation of hydro potential
in Himalayas etc. The Working Group was found useful and it
was decided to continue the same. Similarly another Group on
Fibres and Textiles presented its report identifying areas with
potential for enhanced bilateral cooperation through education,
training and product development.
An MOU is under
consideration for cooperation in the telecommunication sector.
It was also agreed to develop an action plan under an MOU signed
on Tourism in 2002. A revised draft MOU on Education for an
educational exchange programme was provided to the Australian
side as an umbrella agreement under which specific MOUs could
be formulated between counterpart institutions of the two countries.
The Joint Business
Council (JBC) also held its 14th meeting in New Delhi
on 18th February, 2003 which was addressed by Shri
Jaitley and Mr. Vaile. It underscored the strong commercial
linkages between the two countries and enabled delegates to
have discussions on areas of mutual interest. It has also been
decided to hold the next JMC in Australia in 2004 on a mutually
convenient date.
