Archive · 9 Oct 2026
Kevin Rudd Says India-Australia Defence Ties Have Grown
Kevin Rudd spoke at an event in Mumbai about big changes affecting the world.
He named competition between the United States and China, fast-growing artificial intelligence, and climate change.
He said Australia and India now work together much more on defence than they did when he was prime minister.
He remembered asking India’s former leader Manmohan Singh to cooperate more, but Singh replied that India was non-aligned.
Rudd said the United States is unlikely to stop being involved in the world.
He expects China’s Xi Jinping to remain in power, but said China’s economy has both strengths and challenges.
He also said a US-China war can be avoided if leaders make careful choices.
On artificial intelligence and surveillance, he said protecting freedom in democracies is important.
At a Mumbai event, former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd discussed three major global forces: US-China competition, AI and climate change.
Rudd said India-Australia defence cooperation had expanded considerably, recalling that former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh once declined closer ties, saying India was non-aligned.
He said the United States was unlikely to withdraw from global affairs, while describing its future role as the subject of a domestic debate.
Rudd predicted Xi Jinping would be reappointed for a fourth term, but cautioned against either overstating or dismissing China’s economic prospects.
Rudd said conflict between the United States and China was not inevitable and argued that democracies must protect people’s freedom while addressing security concerns.
- Who
- Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd, speaking with C Raja Mohan; he recalled a conversation with former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh.
- What
- Rudd discussed global shifts and India-Australia defence cooperation, including Singh’s earlier response to a request for closer ties.
- When
- Thursday evening; no date is stated.
- Where
- The Trident Hotel in Nariman Point, Mumbai.
- Why
- The fireside chat examined Asia’s next decade and major changes in global affairs.
Risk and restraint
Rudd’s assessment
US-China conflict
Risk and restraint
Rudd described intense strategic competition between the United States and China as one of the major forces shaping the world.
Rudd’s assessment
He said war was not inevitable because national leaders can choose how to act.
China’s economic outlook
Risk and restraint
Rudd cited weak domestic consumption and questioned whether investment in technology and manufacturing would sustain growth.
Rudd’s assessment
He cautioned against catastrophising China’s economy or eulogising it, describing its outlook as somewhere in between.
AI, surveillance and freedom
Risk and restraint
An audience member raised concerns that combining AI and mass surveillance in the name of security could turn a democracy into a totalitarian state.
Rudd’s assessment
Rudd said there was no formula for precisely balancing these issues and stressed that people’s aspiration for freedom must be preserved.
- Event
- “A Global Perspective on Asia’s Next Decade” fireside chat
- Location
- Sunset Lounge, Trident Hotel, Nariman Point, Mumbai
- Speaker
- Kevin Rudd, president and CEO of Asia Society, New York
- Interlocutor
- C Raja Mohan, professor and director at Jindal Global University’s Motwani-Jadeja Institute of American Studies
- Three major forces
- US-China strategic competition, artificial intelligence and climate change
- Defence ties
- Rudd said India-Australia defence cooperation has grown considerably in recent years.
- Manmohan Singh’s response
- Rudd recalled Singh saying, “We’re a non-aligned country. Goodbye,” when Rudd sought closer cooperation.