Swan to meet with Indian officials

Treasurer Wayne Swan has become the latest in a growing list of Australian ministers
making the passage to India.
The intent of each is the same - to bolster Australia's relationship with the
growing east Asian superpower.
Mr Swan, who arrived in India on Monday, is spruiking the benefits of closer
economic ties.
Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard - the most senior member of the Rudd government
to visit India so far - spent five days on the sub-continent last week.
Her visit was part of a concerted effort by Canberra to reassure India about the
safety of its students in Australia following a spate of violent incidents in
Melbourne and Sydney.
There have also been allegations of dodgy behaviour levelled at private colleges,
including new claims on Monday that some are tricking and ripping off students.
International education is Australia's third biggest export industry, bringing in
more than $15 billion each year.
Ms Gillard, who is also education minister, met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh, assuring him Australia welcomed the 100,000 Indian students that headed Down
Under to study each year.
"Beyond being able to offer that reassurance, I actually was able to strike a
positive agreement with the Indian government that we will have a annual ministerial
dialogue on education," Ms Gillard told ABC Television on Monday.
Ms Gillard stressed the relationship with India went far beyond education.
"India is an emerging superpower in our region," she said.
"We want to enter a strategic partnership with them to cooperate right across the
broad field of defence and foreign affairs and economic issues."
Her visit coincided with a trip by Trade Minister Simon Crean, who was in New Delhi
for an international meeting of trade ministers.
Mr Swan has stopped in India on his way back from a meeting of G20 finance ministers
in London.
It is the first visit to India by an Australian treasurer in seven years and Mr Swan
indicated he wanted the visits to be more frequent in the future.
In a speech to the National Council for Applied Economic Research on Monday, Mr Swan
said the relationship between the two countries could have real benefits for the
region.
"Our two nations are now forging a major strategic partnership to promote peace,
prosperity, energy security and environmental sustainability in our region," he
said.
"And as our region rises to economic leadership in the years ahead, it's a
partnership of real significance to the wider world."
Mr Swan acknowledged the role India would play in global economic growth in the
years to come.
"The growing bilateral relationship of economic cooperation between India and
Australia shines a light on the Asian century we are entering," he said.
"As you know, emerging economies in our region led by China and India will be the
key drivers of world growth over the century to come."
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd signalled India was a key pillar of his government's
foreign policy agenda when he won government but is yet to visit the sub-continent.
It's not for a lack of trying - two planned visits were aborted because of domestic
issues in India.
Mr Rudd is expected to finally make the journey some time in the next few months.