India and Singapore on Thursday unveiled a comprehensive roadmap to expand their strategic partnership, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong reaffirming their commitment to strengthening cooperation across key sectors and jointly addressing global challenges, including disruptions to trade arising from tariff disputes.
During wide-ranging talks, the two leaders agreed to deepen collaboration in advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, green shipping, skill development, civil nuclear energy, aviation, defence, and security, with particular interest in the development of unmanned vessels.
The meeting saw the signing of five agreements covering areas such as aviation, skilling, and green and digital shipping. A key Memorandum of Understanding on green shipping aims to establish a Green and Digital Shipping Corridor (GDSC), furthering sustainability and connectivity initiatives.
Modi and Wong also virtually inaugurated a container terminal at Nhava Sheva port in Mumbai, where Singapore’s PSA International has invested over $1 billion. Singapore is India’s largest source of foreign direct investment, accounting for nearly a quarter of total FDI inflows.
Both countries identified eight pillars for the next phase of cooperation: economic ties, skills development, digitalization, sustainability, connectivity, healthcare and medicine, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and defence and security. Modi emphasized that cooperation would expand beyond traditional areas, with a time-bound review planned for the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement and the ASEAN free trade agreement to accelerate bilateral trade.
Highlighting new areas of partnership, Modi said India and Singapore will work closely in artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and urban water management. He described Singapore as a ‘vital pillar’ of India’s Act East Policy and underscored the importance of advancing joint efforts with ASEAN to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
In his remarks, Wong stressed the importance of resilience and mutual trust in a turbulent global environment. “In a world marked by great uncertainty and turbulence, the partnership between India and Singapore becomes even more important because this is a partnership rooted in shared values, mutual respect, and a deep reservoir of trust,” he said, expressing confidence in elevating the relationship further in the years ahead.
The two sides also discussed shared concerns over terrorism. Modi thanked Singapore for its condolences following the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam and reaffirmed India’s belief that nations must unite to combat the threat.
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