Australia backs India's UNSC bid

[Ruag]

Bigger role for India backed

WAYNE Swan has assured India of Australia's support in its push for a more powerful voice on the world stage, as the Rudd government seeks to make up ground with the emerging Asian economic giant.

Fresh from the G20 finance ministers meeting, where he pushed India's case for International Monetary Fund reform, the Treasurer yesterday agreed in New Delhi that Australia was increasingly aligning diplomatically with India "for very good policy reasons".

Mr Swan is the third senior government minister to visit India in a week, after Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Trade Minister Simon Crean, in the wake of a series of assaults on Indian students in Australia that have damaged bilateral relations.

Australia is increasingly playing chief advocate for India in its bid for a seat at the UN Security Council, as well as for a greater vote-weighting within the IMF and the World Bank.

The Rudd government also championed the landmark nuclear supply deal last year between the US and India through the Nuclear Suppliers Group, despite refusing to supply uranium to India because it is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Mr Swan told a meeting of the National Council for Applied Economic Research in New Delhi that Australia hoped India would be "one of our biggest future customers and suppliers" and called on the two nations to work together.

The growth of India -- which is projected to expand its middle class tenfold by 2025 -- "presents both of our countries with amazing opportunities to grow and to work together, but also to play a far greater role on the international stage", he said.

The G20 was a forum where "emerging economic giants like India and innovative middle powers like Australia can be at the centre of world economic decision-making for the benefit of ourselves and our region".

Mr Swan told The Australian ahead of yesterday's meetings: "There's no doubt we're interested in a much closer relationship (with India) across the board, not just economically but more generally."

He said he championed India's demands for a greater vote weighting for the BRIC countries -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- during last week's G20 finance ministers' meeting in London and, with South Africa, even drafted the proposed IMF reforms that would give a greater say to developing nations.

He also met yesterday with Indian finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, the chairman of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council and deputy chairman of the country's planning commission -- reflecting Australia's eagerness to claim a share of India's infrastructure bonanza.

Bigger role for India backed | The Australian