Eye on Indo-Pacific: India and Australia deepen ties across nuclear, maritime and mineral sectors
India and Australia on Thursday (July 9, 2026) sealed a raft of landmark pacts spanning civil nuclear energy, maritime security and critical minerals sectors, as
India and Australia on Thursday (July 9, 2026) sealed a raft of landmark pacts spanning civil nuclear energy, maritime security and critical minerals sectors, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese reinforced the vital role of the bilateral partnership in ensuring a peaceful Indo-Pacific. The agreement on civil nuclear energy to facilitate the commercial supply of uranium from Australia to India to fuel New Delhi's nuclear power projects came nearly 12 years after the two countries inked a historic civil nuclear cooperation pact. Follow PM Modi in Australia LIVE updates In another significant decision, India and Australia decided to work expeditiously to firm up the proposed Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement as well as a bilateral investment protection framework. A joint declaration on defence and security cooperation, a maritime security collaboration roadmap, a joint statement on energy security and a partnership for cyber, critical technologies and supply chains were among 18 pacts signed following summit talks between the two Prime Ministers. Modi described as "unparalleled" the outcomes from his talks with Mr. Albanese, especially in areas of renewable energy, climate action, nuclear energy, critical minerals, technology and education. The agreements sealed at the summit also included one between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Maritime Border Command (MBC) of Australia and it will provide cooperation in the fields of maritime law enforcement, domain awareness, and maritime border protection. The two sides also vowed to work closely in shipbuilding, ship repair and maintenance. Modi landed in Australia from Indonesia on the second leg of his three-nation tour that is aimed at boosting trade, energy and defence ties against the backdrop of an increasingly fractured geopolitical environment.
Under the provisions of the energy security framework, India and Australia vowed to strengthen energy security by maintaining a stable, secure and reliable supply of coal, diesel, other liquid fuels and natural gas. The maritime security roadmap provides for defence and security collaboration with a long-term perspective to enhance collective strength besides deepening cooperation in the defence industrial sector to co-develop military hardware and build supply chain resilience. It will also accelerate efforts to build interoperability and information sharing between the defence forces of the two sides and expand aircraft deployments from each other's territories, the document said. In his media statement, Mr. Modi elaborated on the outcomes in areas such as renewable energy, climate action, nuclear energy, critical minerals, technology and education. "Today, we have signed an important agreement in the field of nuclear energy. This will open the way for uranium supplies from Australia to India and give new impetus to our clean energy objectives," he said. "Our cooperation in critical minerals is vital to our strategic security and clean energy transition. With this in mind, today we have launched the Australia-India Partnership on Cyber, Critical Technologies, and Supply Chains," he said. Critical minerals corridor The Prime Minister said both sides will also work together on a critical minerals corridor. Modi also mentioned growing engagement between the two countries in the defence domain and emphasised the importance of a free and stable Indo-Pacific. The new initiatives to bolster defence ties came amid growing concerns over China's increasing military muscle-flexing in the Indo-Pacific. "The Indo-Pacific is not just the confluence of two oceans. It also symbolises the shared aspirations of like-minded democracies like India and Australia," he said.
The BriefWire