Modi, Morrison agree on low emissions tech partnership
Washington: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said he and his Indian counterpart and "dear friend" Narendra Modi have agreed on some important new initiatives, including low emissions technology partnership and ultra low cost solar programme, which will help in further deepening the economic ties between the two countries.
The meeting between Modi and Morrison held here on Thursday came a week after they spoke over phone and reviewed the rapid progress in the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including through the recent 'two-plus-two' dialogue, and exchanged views on regional developments and the forthcoming Quad meeting to be hosted by US President Joe Biden later in the day.
The Quad or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue comprises India, the US, Japan and Australia. "I've just come from a meeting with one of my Quad partners, Prime Minister Modi, a dear friend and great friend of Australia. We've been working together for some years now. Today, at our meeting, we were able to agree on some important new initiatives," Morrison told journalists after the meeting, a transcript of which was released by his office on Friday.
"At our meeting today we agreed to go forward with a low emissions technology partnership, a partnership that will focus on hydrogen development, ultra low cost solar programs, to support their energy transition," he said.
India currently has the world's fastest-growing solar energy programme and has expanded access to clean cooking fuel to cover over 80 million households, making it one of the largest clean energy drives globally. One of the key points, Morrison said, they continue to make about addressing climate change is to ensure that there is a technology transfer from developed to developing economies.
"If we want to address climate change, then we need to address the change that is necessary in developing economies, so they can grow their economies, build their industries, make the things the world needs. And, to do that, you need an energy economy that supports those objectives.
"And so, we'll work together closely with our good friends in India, to work with the comparative advantages that Australia has, particularly in the area of hydrogen, and working together with their manufacturing capabilities so they can realise that in their own country," he said.
Noting that Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan will be meeting his Indian counterpart Piyush Goyal in New Delhi next week, Morrison said he and Modi have tasked "our teams to be ambitious when they sit down next week to look at our trade opportunities, particularly in the area of digital trade arrangements." Responding to a query on whether his discussions on critical minerals with Prime Minister Modi will translate into more jobs for Australians, Morrison said the issue of pursuing critical mineral supply chains "of course" means more jobs for Australians.
"Of course it does, but it does more than that. Because critical minerals supply chains means that the partners we work with around the world also have access to trusted supply chains on critical minerals. I mean, these are the things that will power up our economies in the new energy economy.
"And critical minerals and rare earths, of which Australia is already very active in producing in these areas, we want to ensure that we're connecting that up right through the supply chain, through production, through to end users, and Prime Minister Modi and I share a passion around that project, because they are also involved in that supply chain at various different points, and it's important that we have the choice that exists in world markets around these issues," Morrison said. "We want to play a stronger role here. But...to develop those critical minerals and rare earths opportunities...we need to ensure that the downstream users are caught in a very productive and trusted supply chain," he said.
