India and Australia on Thursday discussed a new mutual maritime security framework aimed at deepening cooperation for a ‘free, open, and resilient Indo-Pacific’.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on a two-day visit to Australia (October 9–10), held bilateral talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of Australia Richard Marles in Canberra.

In a post on X after the meeting, Rajnath Singh said, “Together, we will deepen cooperation for a free, open, and resilient Indo-Pacific.”

The phrase “free and open Indo-Pacific” is a euphemism aimed at countering Chinese hegemony, which seeks to unilaterally change the maritime status quo in the South China Sea.

India and Australia are part of the four-nation Quad, along with the US and Japan. The group is scheduled to conduct a joint mili

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