India and Australia's trade ministers say a shared security partnership with the United States and Japan has helped them strike a trade deal that Australia hopes will reduce its dependence on exports to China.
Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is heading a business mission to the Australian cities of Melbourne, Sydney and Perth to explore new opportunities created by the interim deal signed virtually on Saturday.
Trade Minister Dan Tehan said at a joint press conference with Goyal in Melbourne on Wednesday that the Australian-Indian bilateral relationship was growing strongly through the Quad. "We now have a Quad between Japan, Australia, the U.S. and India which has many dimensions, both strategic, political. They're working to ensure peace and stability, greater economic partnership between countries in this region," Goyal said.
India, the world's largest democracy, prefers so-called early harvest agreements in its trade negotiations that reduce tariffs on certain goods before a comprehensive bilateral agreement can be reached.