India and Singapore upgraded their bilateral relations to a “comprehensive strategic partnership” on Thursday and signed four memorandums of understanding, including cooperation in the semiconductor field, during talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Indian counterpart Lawrence Wong.
In his opening speech, Modi said that Singapore is not only a partner country but also a source of inspiration for every developing country.
“A new chapter in relations: building a comprehensive strategic partnership. Prime Minister @narendramodi and Prime Minister @LawrenceWongST had a productive meeting in Singapore today,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.
“The leaders agreed to upgrade the relationship between the two countries to a comprehensive strategic partnership. They extensively reviewed all aspects of the bilateral relationship, covering areas such as advanced manufacturing, connectivity, digitalization, healthcare and medicine, skills development and sustainable development.
The two leaders reviewed the progress in bilateral relations between India and Singapore, the MEA said in a statement.
“In view of the breadth, depth and huge potential of the bilateral relationship, they decided to upgrade the bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership. This will also greatly promote India's “Act East Policy.”
The leaders reviewed the strong progress in the economic relationship between the two countries and called for further expansion of trade and investment flows between the two countries. The Prime Minister emphasized that Singapore has invested approximately US$160 billion in the Indian economy and is India's major economic partner. He further noted that India's rapid and sustained growth presents huge investment opportunities for Singaporean entities.
The two sides also reviewed existing cooperation in the fields of defense and security, maritime domain awareness, education, artificial intelligence, financial technology, new technology areas, science and technology and knowledge partnerships. The leaders of the two countries called for strengthening connectivity between the two countries and enhancing economic and people-to-people ties. They also called for expediting the green corridor project.
The two leaders discussed the outcomes of the second India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable to be held in Singapore in August 2024.
The leaders noted that the ministerial roundtable is a unique mechanism and appreciated the work of senior ministers from both sides in reviewing and defining a new agenda for bilateral cooperation. The leaders called for accelerated action under the pillars of cooperation identified during the ministerial roundtable – advanced manufacturing, connectivity, digitalisation, healthcare and medicine, skills development and sustainability.
The leaders emphasized that cooperation under these pillars, especially in the fields of semiconductors and key emerging technologies, opens a new chapter in bilateral relations and future-proofs our relations, the statement said.
Their discussions also touched on the celebration of the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations in 2025.
The leaders also exchanged views on important regional and global issues of common interest, including India's relations with ASEAN and India's vision for the Indo-Pacific region.
The two leaders witnessed the exchange of MoUs for cooperation in the fields of semiconductors, digital technology, skill development and healthcare. This is the outcome of the deliberations of the two rounds of India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable held so far.
The Prime Minister invited Mr. Huang to visit India, and Mr. Huang accepted the invitation.
In his opening speech, Modi thanked Huang for his warm reception.
“This is our first meeting since you became Prime Minister. I congratulate you. I believe that under the leadership of 4G (fourth generation leaders), Singapore will progress faster.
“We also want to create many Singaporeans in India and I am happy that we are cooperating in this direction. The ministerial roundtable formed between us is a path-breaking mechanism. He said that the two countries have strong cooperation in skills, digitalization, mobility, Partnerships in advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, healthcare, sustainability and cybersecurity have become a feature of the mechanism.
“Discussions with my friend Prime Minister Lawrence Wong are still continuing today. Our talks focused on strengthening cooperation in areas such as skills, technology, healthcare, artificial intelligence. We both agreed on the need to strengthen trade relations,” Modi said after the talks Posted on X.
Modi came to China for a two-day visit at the invitation of Wong Kar-wai.
Modi received a red carpet welcome at Singapore's Parliament House ahead of his talks with Wong. He also signed the visitor's book.
The meeting between the two leaders took place just months after Huang took over as prime minister and Modi began his third term as prime minister.
Later in the day, Prime Minister Modi will also call on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
He will call on State Counselor Lee Hsien Loong and Emeritus State Counselor Goh Chok Tong. Lee will host a luncheon for Modi.
Modi will also meet Singapore business leaders and interact with people from the country's semiconductor ecosystem.
Mr Modi and Mr Huang will also visit a semiconductor manufacturing plant.
Modi flew to Singapore on Wednesday after concluding his visit to Brunei, the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister to Brunei.
He was warmly welcomed by the Indian community upon his arrival in Beijing.
(This report has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from United News Agency-PTI)
