Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong have prepared a detailed and ambitious roadmap to shape the future of the India-Singapore partnership as they celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations.

This roadmap marks a significant enhancement of bilateral ties with a focus on diverse advanced sectors beyond traditional cooperation. The partnership now spans advanced manufacturing, green and digital shipping, skilling, civil nuclear cooperation, urban water management, defence, digital technologies including AI and quantum computing, and space collaboration.

The leaders highlighted Singapore as a pivotal part of India's Act East policy and acknowledged its role as one of India’s largest trade and investment partners. Bilateral trade accounts for nearly 3% of India’s total trade, with cumulative Singaporean investments in India exceeding $175 billion since 2014, making it the largest source of foreign direct investment.

The roadmap involves strengthening economic cooperation with initiatives such as establishing a National Centre of Excellence in Chennai for advanced manufacturing, developing sustainable industrial parks, and advancing semiconductor ecosystem partnerships. Cooperation will also expand in skills development through training centres, digital financial linkages exemplified by integration of UPI with Singapore's PayNow, and enhanced connectivity in maritime and civil aviation sectors.

On defence and security cooperation, both sides agreed to deepen engagement including training and exchanges among the three military services, exploring joint co-development and co-production of defence technologies, and possibilities of civil nuclear collaboration focused on small modular reactor (SMR) technology.

Space cooperation is another new chapter with agreements for collaboration between Indian and Singaporean space agencies and industries in Earth observation and satellite communications R&D.

The roadmap calls for periodic review and acceleration of economic agreements, including the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement and ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement, to boost trade resilience amid global uncertainties.

This comprehensive partnership also emphasises people-to-people ties and cultural exchange, digital innovation collaboration through upcoming hackathons, and shared commitments to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Singapore Prime Minister’s visit included signing five memoranda of understanding on cooperation in areas like shipping, space, civil aviation, and skills training, as well as the inauguration of the India-Singapore PSA Mumbai Terminal Phase-II. Both leaders stressed that the India-Singapore relationship is now a pillar for regional integration, technological innovation, sustainability, and a shared vision of prosperity in a turbulent global landscape.

In summary, the India-Singapore partnership roadmap is a multifaceted and forward-looking roadmap leveraging investment, technology, defence, trade, and people-to-people cooperation to deepen strategic ties and address contemporary economic and geopolitical challenges effectively.

Based On ANI Report