Quad has evolved swiftly, very effectively: Australian foreign minister

India and Australia are working towards an interim trade agreement to be followed by a comprehensive economic pact to boost trade ties, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Friday.

A day before the inaugural two-plus-two foreign and defence ministerial dialogue between the two countries, she also said that Canberra is ''working hard'' to get the Indian students back to Australia ''as soon as possible''. In an address at an event organised by the Observer Research Foundation, Payne also talked about China's coercive approach, Canberra's frosty trade ties with Beijing and overall strategic competition but added that Australia will continue to engage with it constructively while strongly defending the country's national interests.

Noting that a number of ''unjustified'' actions by China, she said Australia will use every tool available in the international system to address its position.

The Australian foreign minister touched upon a range of issues including the convergence of interests between India and Australia in the Indo-Pacific, the evolution of Quad and India's rise as a major power in the region.

Payne delivered her speech hours after arriving here along with Defence Minister Peter Dutton on a three-day visit primarily to take part in the two-plus-two dialogue.

Delving into various contemporary geopolitical developments, she said the Quad has evolved ''swiftly'' and very ''effectively'' and that Australia commends India for taking a strong leadership role in the region.

While talking about ''significant challenges'' facing the Indo-Pacific, Payne said Australia seeks a region where rights of large and small countries are respected and that no ''single dominant power'' dictates the outcome for others.

''We commend India for taking a strong leadership role in the region,'' she said.

''Since India's independence, generations of Australians have admired the bold nation-building project began by Gandhi, Nehru, Patel and Ambedkar and continued by their successors up to Prime Minister Modi,'' she said.

It is certainly an exciting time to witness the continuous rise of a new India, a country that is both confident, modern, aspirational, vibrant, tech-savvy and a leading Indo-pacific power, she said.

On economic ties, she said the trade ministers of India and Australia have instructed officials to work on an ''ambitious timeframe'' for striking a trade deal. ''We are working towards an interim agreement as an early outcome with a comprehensive economic agreement to follow next,'' she said.

Talking about the importance of technology, she said the endeavour of Australia would be to ensure that the next generation of technology is shaped by standards and rules that uphold and protect shared democratic values and promote human dignity.

She said a strong India-Australia partnership is good for the two countries as well as the wider region. Payne also announced that Australia will contribute USD 10 mullion for the India-led coalition for disaster-resilient infrastructure and USD one million for International Solar Alliance. In her address, the Australian foreign minister mentioned the ''indispensable role'' that the Australians of Indian descent, Indian migrants and Indian students have been playing in modern Australia.

She said Australia and India particularly share a common vision for an open, inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific, a region in which states cooperate and resolve differences based on international rules and norms.

In that context, she said the Quad, comprising Indian, the US, Australia and Japan, has evolved ''swiftly'' and very ''effectively'' over the past two years.

One of the key objectives of the Quad is to work for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

''It is thoroughly a contemporary grouping,'' Payne said.

Asked about Canberra's ties with Beijing, she said it is a long-standing relationship and that Australia has seen the rise of China and how it has lifted millions and millions of people out of poverty.

At the same time, she said a degree of responsibility also comes along with power.

''Australia will always constructively engage with China but we will always consider the advancement of our national interests in doing so. And any sovereign nation would take the same approach. What we have seen in recent times certainly presented challenges for the relationship as some actions have threatened Australia's national interest,'' she said. Referring to key challenges facing the world, the Australian foreign minister mentioned transnational crime, the persistent threat of terrorism, cyber and critical technology challenges and threats from dangerous disinformation as areas of concern.