Australia and India thank Quad for new free trade deal
By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — India and Australia’s trade ministers say a shared security partnership with the United States and Japan has helped them strike a trade deal that Australia hopes will reduce its dependence on exports to China. Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is heading a business mission to Australia to explore new opportunities created by the interim deal signed virtually on Saturday. India views the agreement as a diplomatic coup that deepens its engagement with Australia at a time when it is under pressure to take a stronger stand against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both countries belong to the security bloc known as the Quad, which also includes the United States and Japan.
