The Prime Minister invited Lawrence Wong to go to India, which he accepted. (File)
Singapore:
India and Singapore on Thursday elevated their ties to a “complete strategic partnership” and inked 4 MoUs, together with one on cooperation within the semiconductor business, because the affluent city-state’s corporations pledged to speculate about USD 60 billion within the subsequent few years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived right here from Brunei on a two-day go to, touted Singapore as a mannequin for creating nations and mentioned India needed to create “a number of Singapores” of its personal throughout his talks with Premier Lawrence Wong.
“Prime Ministers @narendramodi and @LawrenceWongST held productive talks right now. They deliberated on methods to additional deepen India-Singapore partnership throughout key sectors together with expertise, healthcare, commerce, skilling, and extra,” the prime minister’s workplace mentioned in a put up on X.
Later, PM Modi held a roundtable with high enterprise leaders and CEOs in Singapore, the place he talked about methods to deepen financial linkages. Highlighting the reforms underway in India, which can encourage funding and innovation, PM Modi invited Singaporean enterprise leaders to take a look at funding alternatives in India in sectors like aviation, vitality, and ability improvement.
On the roundtable with enterprise leaders, Singapore corporations dedicated an funding of round USD 60 billion (over Rs 5 lakh crore) within the subsequent few years, officers mentioned.
“Collaborative initiatives have been recognized in areas resembling skilling, digitalisation, mobility, superior manufacturing, semiconductors and AI, healthcare, sustainability and cybersecurity,” PM Modi mentioned throughout his assembly with Lawrence Wong.
Describing Singapore as an “vital facilitator” of India’s Act East coverage, PM Modi mentioned, “Our strategic partnership is finishing a decade. Over the previous 10 years, our commerce has greater than doubled. Mutual funding has elevated virtually threefold to cross USD 150 billion. Singapore was the primary nation with which we launched the UPI Particular person-to-Particular person fee facility.” Noting that previously ten years, 17 satellites of Singapore have been launched from Indian soil, PM Modi mentioned bilateral cooperation has gained momentum from skilling to the defence sector.
“I’m happy that right now, we’re collectively elevating our relationship to a Complete Strategic Partnership,” he mentioned.
Each leaders witnessed the trade of MoUs for cooperation in semiconductors, digital applied sciences, ability improvement and healthcare. These are the outcomes of the deliberations in the course of the two rounds of India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtables held thus far.
Prime Minister Modi additionally introduced the organising of an Make investments India workplace in Singapore, which will probably be a handholding workplace for traders in Singapore in varied areas recognized within the six pillars.
At their talks, each leaders reviewed current cooperation within the fields of defence and safety, maritime area consciousness, schooling, AI, Fintech, new expertise domains, science and expertise and data partnership, the Ministry of Exterior Affairs (MEA) mentioned.
The leaders additionally exchanged views on vital regional and international problems with mutual curiosity, together with India-ASEAN relations and India’s imaginative and prescient for the Indo-Pacific.
In a joint assertion, the 2 international locations dedicated to work collectively to advertise peace and stability throughout the Indo-Pacific area, which might assist promote free commerce and open markets.
The 2 leaders “reaffirmed the significance of sustaining and selling peace, safety, stability, security and freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea,” the joint assertion mentioned, in a veiled reference to China, which claims a lot of the South China Sea, whereas the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, and Taiwan have counterclaims.
PM Modi additionally mentioned India’s first Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre would quickly be inaugurated in Singapore. “The nice saint Thiruvalluvar offered guiding ideas to the world in essentially the most historical language Tamil. His work, the Thirukkural, was composed almost 2,000 years in the past, but its concepts stay related right now,” he added.
The 2 leaders mentioned the end result of the 2nd India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable held in Singapore in August 2024. Their dialogue additionally lined the celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of bilateral ties in 2025.
The Prime Minister invited Lawrence Wong to go to India, which he accepted.
PM Modi thanked Lawrence Wong for the nice and cozy welcome. “That is our first assembly after you assumed the put up of premier. Many congratulations to you from my facet. I’m assured that below the management of 4G (the fourth-generation leaders), Singapore will progress even sooner,” PM Modi mentioned.
“The discussions with my pal, PM Lawrence Wong continued right now. Our talks centered on boosting cooperation in areas like skilling, expertise, healthcare, AI and extra. We each agreed on the necessity to enhance commerce relations,” PM Modi later mentioned in a put up on X.
Lawrence Wong mentioned Singapore and India share a deep and enduring friendship, constructed on robust financial and people-to-people ties.
“Had a productive assembly with Indian Prime Minister @narendramodi at Parliament Home. We have set out a forward-looking agenda for the subsequent section of our bilateral relations,” he posted on X.
“This contains nearer cooperation in areas like sustainability, superior manufacturing, digital applied sciences and connectivity. We’re additionally upgrading the Singapore-India Strategic Partnership to a Complete Strategic Partnership,” he mentioned.
“That is well timed as we broaden our partnership in new, mutually helpful areas. We additionally rejoice 60 years of diplomatic relations and our Strategic Partnership’s tenth anniversary subsequent 12 months,” Lawrence Wong mentioned.
Singapore seems ahead to strengthening bilateral ties and creating new alternatives for the individuals of the 2 nations, he mentioned.
Forward of the talks with Lawrence Wong, PM Modi acquired a ceremonial welcome on the Parliament Home.
The assembly between the 2 leaders comes months after Lawrence Wong took over as premier and PM Modi started his third time period as prime minister.
PM Modi and Lawrence Wong additionally visited a number one Singaporean firm within the semiconductor and electronics sector and mentioned methods for collaboration on this essential business. That is his fifth go to as prime minister, all prior visits have been made in his first time period as prime minister.
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by EDNBOX workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
