Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, shakes arms with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese throughout an Indian group occasion at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, May 23, 2023. Modi has arrived in Sydney for his second Australian go to as India’s prime minister and instructed native media he desires nearer bilateral protection and safety ties as China’s affect within the Indo-Pacific area grows. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

SYDNEY (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was welcomed by round 20,000 cheering followers, many chanting “Modi,” at a Sydney stadium on Tuesday throughout his second go to to Australia as his nation’s chief.

Modi shared the stage with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who in contrast the reception by the primarily Indian crowd at Qudos Bank Arena to a live performance by U.S. rock star Bruce Springsteen on the similar venue.

“The last time I saw someone on the stage here was Bruce Springsteen and he didn’t get the welcome that Prime Minister Modi has got,” Albanese instructed the capability crowd.

“Prime Minister Modi is the Boss,” Albanese added, utilizing Springsteen’s nickname.

Modi instructed the viewers he anticipated commerce between the 2 nations will double within the subsequent 5 years.

“Our positive cooperation is growing in areas like climate action, disaster management, strategic technologies, reliable supply chain, education and health security,” Modi mentioned.

“It hasn’t grown through diplomacy. The real strength is the Indians living in Australia,” he added.

A skywriter had earlier emblazoned the sky over Sydney with the message “Welcome Modi” in a sign of the town’s enthusiasm in regards to the 72-year-old Indian chief’s go to.

The Indian diaspora accounts for under 3% of Australia’s inhabitants however is the nation’s quickest rising ethnic minority.

Modi is the one chief of the so-called Quad nations to proceed together with his scheduled go to to Australia after U.S. President Joe Biden pulled out of a deliberate assembly of the group in Sydney to return to Washington to give attention to debt restrict talks. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who hosted a Group of Seven summit final week, later canceled his Australia journey as properly.

Modi instructed The Australian newspaper that he desires to take India’s relationship with Australia to the “next level,” together with nearer protection and safety ties to assist guarantee a free and open Indo-Pacific area.

“As two democracies, India and Australia have shared interests in a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. There is alignment of our strategic viewpoint,” Modi instructed the newspaper.

“The high degree of mutual trust between us has naturally translated into greater cooperation on defense and security matters. Our navies are participating in joint naval exercises. I am confident that there is merit in working together to realize the true potential in closer defense and security cooperation,” Modi added.

Albanese instructed Parliament that Australia will host naval workouts involving India, the United States and Japan known as Malabar for the primary time this yr in one other signal of a deepening dedication to the Quad.

“India is a key strategic partner,” Albanese instructed Parliament. “We are both part of a growing and dynamic region and Prime Minister Modi is a very welcome visitor to our shores.”

Albanese mentioned he and Modi anticipate to finish negotiations on a free commerce deal earlier than the tip of the yr.

“That will create Australian jobs, helping our industries prosper, sparking growth in innovation,” Albanese mentioned.

Negotiations on the deal started in 2011. The Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement would enhance the scope of a bilateral commerce pact that got here into power final December.

India is Australia’s sixth largest buying and selling accomplice, with the two-way alternate of products and companies valued at 46.5 billion Australian {dollars} ($31 billion) final yr.

Australia is keen to extend commerce with India as a method of diversifying from China, Australia’s largest buying and selling accomplice. Australian efforts to enhance commerce relations with India have gained urgency lately as Beijing has imposed restrictions on sure Australian merchandise.

Modi final visited Australia in November 2014, simply months after his authorities was first elected.

Australia pulled out of the unique Quad safety dialogue with India, the United States and Japan in 2008, fearing the grouping would provoke a Chinese army buildup. Since China took that course anyway, the Quad reformed in 2017 and Australia returned to joint Quad army workouts in 2020.

With the Quad summit in Sydney canceled, a substitute Quad assembly was convened on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Japan.

Modi arrived in Sydney on Monday evening from Papua New Guinea, the place he hosted a gathering with Pacific Island leaders to debate methods to higher cooperate.

Asked if Australia would elevate the difficulty of Muslim and minority rights in India with the Hindu chief, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles mentioned he anticipated Albanese and Modi would have a “full conversation.”

“We have never had a greater strategic alignment with India than we do right now. Both countries are deeply invested in the collective security of the Indo-Pacific region,” Marles mentioned.

Sydney physician Vani Arjunamani, one of many organizers of a rally close to the stadium the place Modi appeared, mentioned the Indian chief was drawing larger crowds than he did when he visited Australia in 2014.

“It’s very interesting, isn’t it? Is there another head of state that can pull this crowd? It is very unusual,” Arjunamani mentioned.

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McGuirk contributed from Canberra, Australia.

Associated Press author Ashok Sharma in New Delhi contributed to this report.