PM Malcolm Turnbull commits to exporting coal, uranium and renewables to India

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull addresses the media during a news conference in Woolloomooloo, Sydney, November 14, 2016. AAP/Sam Mooy/via Reuters

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will give India the assurance of providing coal, uranium, gas and renewable energy technology. The recommitment will come as Turnbull and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet in Delhi on April 10.

This will be the first visit by an Australian prime minister since Tony Abbott’s 2014 trip. The leaders of the two countries will also discuss negotiations concerning the free trade agreement. Both countries have found themselves in what is called a “stockwave” of their respective positions. As a result, talks of a trade between Australia and India have slowed recently.

Education Minister Simon Birmingham, along with a delegation of 27 university vice-chancellors and officials, will also be visiting the country. On the agenda will be an endeavour to strengthen Australia’s second largest export to India.

Turnbull lauded India in a speech he delivered at the Sydney Institute on Thursday, referring to the country as “a land of immense opportunity for Australia.” The prime minister also spoke about the educational services Australian universities will provide to as many as 400 million people by 2022. Turnbull will be visiting Papua New Guinea followed by India in a week-long trip.

In the last decade, trade between the two countries has enhanced by 100 percent to more than $20 billion. India’s economy, currently growing at 7 percent a year, is expected to come close to that of the United States by about 2050. "India is undergoing a dramatic economic transformation and our close partnership creates opportunities for both nations," Turnbull said.

Turnbull’s three-day visit to the Indian cities of Delhi and Mumbai will focus on concerns of energy, education and trade. With regards to energy, sources said Turnbull will discuss the Australian government’s support for the Adani Carmichael coal mine to be developed in the Galilee Basin in Queensland.

Turnbull will also reemphasise Australia’s commitment to provide uranium to India. The arrangement was set up by the Gillard government and finalised between Turnbull and Modi in November 2015. “India wants to provide energy security through a range of technologies, including nuclear, clean coal, natural gas and renewable energy. Australia is well placed to provide many of the raw materials, and some of the latest technology,” Turnbull said.

The two countries are currently endeavouring to sign a free trade agreement. Since the start of talks in 2011, there have as many as nine rounds of negotiations. The most one occurred in 2015.