"China's Military Modernization and India's Key Role in the Balance of Power"

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong emphasized the importance of strategic ties with India for maintaining a balance of power in the face of China's unprecedented military modernization. Wong highlighted China's lack of transparency in its military advancements and North Korea's destabilizing behavior. Australia, along with India, the US, and Japan, is part of the Quad, a strategic group aimed at countering China's expansionist ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region. Wong called for partnerships to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific, grounded in sovereignty, and stressed the significance of India's contribution to the strategic balance of power in the region.