Singapore and India on Sept 4 signed five agreements to expand cooperation in areas ranging from advanced manufacturing and civil aviation to green shipping and digital finance, as both countries marked 60 years of diplomatic relations.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, on the final day of his first official visit to India as head of government from Sept 2 to Sept 4, met his counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi, where the two leaders unveiled what they described as “an ambitious and detailed roadmap” for the next phase of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP).
At the Hyderabad House, both prime ministers virtually inaugurated the JN Port PSA Mumbai Terminal Phase-II and witnessed the exchange of the joint statement on the CSP roadmap, alongside five memorandums of understandings.
The pacts included cooperation on digital asset innovation between the two countries’ central banks, with plans to strengthen cross-border data flows and capital market linkages. Another agreement will establish a green and digital shipping corridor supported by infrastructure and new technologies to facilitate the use of low-emission fuels.
Other accords focused on training, research, and development in civil aviation; skills development in high-growth sectors such as semiconductors, electronics, and aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul; and deeper cooperation in space industries, including satellite communication.
India has already launched more than 20 Singapore-made satellites, and both leaders said they aimed to push this partnership further.
The meeting also saw the virtual inauguration of Phase Two of PSA Mumbai, a container terminal at Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Navi Mumbai operated by PSA International. Once completed, the facility will become India’s largest single container terminal.
Mr Wong said the bilateral relationship had become even more important “in a world marked by great uncertainty and turbulence,” stressing that it was anchored in “mutual respect and a deep reservoir of trust.” He added: “Together, we can strengthen resilience, seize new opportunities, and contribute to stability and growth in our region and beyond.”
Mr Modi highlighted how cooperation had expanded into new areas such as green shipping, civil nuclear energy, and urban water management. He announced that Singapore and India would review their Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), which has boosted annual trade from US$20 billion in 2005 to US$52.2 billion in 2023. “This is a partnership with purpose, rooted in shared values and guided by mutual interests,” said Mr Modi.
The two countries are driven by a common vision for peace, progress, and prosperity, he added, expressing thanks for PM Wong’s personal commitment to the partnership. Both men embraced after delivering their remarks.
