India and Australia have launched the Partnership on Cyber, Critical Technologies and Supply Chains (PACTS) to strengthen cooperation in emerging technologies, cybersecurity and resilient supply chains….reports Asian Lite News Desk
India and Australia on Thursday launched the Partnership on Cyber, Critical Technologies and Supply Chains (PACTS), a new initiative aimed at strengthening collaboration in critical technologies, cybersecurity and resilient supply chains while expanding their strategic partnership.
The initiative builds on the 2020 Framework Arrangement on Cyber and Cyber Enabled Critical Technology Cooperation and is designed to enhance national and regional security, promote trusted technology partnerships and strengthen digital resilience.
“The PACTS aims to support our shared interest in national and regional security, empower our partners with greater digital choices, make critical supply chains more resilient, and strengthen global cyber resilience,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
The partnership will pursue a common strategic vision across five interconnected pillars: supply chain resilience and diversification, critical technology, cybersecurity, digital resilience and defence research collaboration.
Under each pillar, India and Australia will identify collaborative projects involving the private sector, universities, research institutions and government agencies. The initiative is also expected to deepen government-to-government engagement, encourage two-way investment in emerging technologies and support the commercialisation of intellectual property to drive economic growth.
As part of the supply chain pillar, both countries will establish a bilateral mechanism to cooperate on trusted vendor frameworks.
“Australia and India will work towards secure, resilient and trustworthy supply chains to support our growing technical industries, including by promoting security and safety by design and protective regulatory frameworks and deepening rules-based bilateral technology trade and supply chains,” the statement said.
The two countries will also work together on semiconductor and critical minerals supply chains, including recycling and recovery, while promoting greater commercial collaboration and trade diversification between Australian and Indian businesses.
The critical technology pillar will focus on cooperation in artificial intelligence, space, telecommunications, biotechnology and advanced materials.
According to the MEA, PACTS will also leverage global efforts to advance international standards and benchmarks for trustworthy, safe and secure artificial intelligence by developing consensus-driven, multi-stakeholder frameworks grounded in democratic values.
Cybersecurity cooperation under the partnership will include efforts to counter cybercrime, deter malicious cyber activity, exchange knowledge and experience on cyber and technology security norms, and strengthen the protection of critical national infrastructure.
The digital resilience pillar aims to expand the adoption of affordable Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) solutions across the Indo-Pacific in areas including clean and renewable energy, resilient critical infrastructure, connectivity, digital transformation, healthcare, social protection, skills development, education and research.
The partnership will also strengthen defence research cooperation.
“Australia and India will work together to leverage defence research partnerships to advance a shared understanding of multi-domain defence challenges and capabilities,” the statement noted.
