SG is opening the doors for thousands of CECA talent

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S’pore must manage new arrivals with utmost caution, but also stand firm against nativism: SM Lee​

Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong at a dinner hosted by the Singapore Indian Development Association and 14 other Indian community organisations on Jan 11. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI

Anjali Raguraman
Jan 23, 2025

SINGAPORE - Singapore relies heavily on immigrants and foreign workers – who raise political sensitivities in many societies – to top up its population base and talent pool, said Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The inflow and integration of new arrivals must therefore be managed with the “utmost sensitivity and caution, to ensure the flows are balanced and sustainable”, noted SM Lee.

“But we must also stand firmly against nativism and xenophobia, and welcome the new arrivals to become part of our extended family,” he said in a speech at a dinner hosted by the Singapore Indian Development Association (Sinda) and 14 other Indian community organisations on Jan 11.


SM Lee said Singaporeans should help these new arrivals adapt progressively to the way things are done here, and to the country’s social norms and ethos. It is an ongoing process that takes time, but gradually they will integrate into the local community, he added.

“This is how earlier generations became Indian Singaporeans, and it will happen with this generation, and with new arrivals from other groups and places too,” he said.

This is how the Singaporean identity can be sustained and enriched, and the way to build a cohesive and inclusive society that is “connected to the world, strengthened and not divided by our diversity”, he said.

SM Lee was addressing around 2,000 guests, including Cabinet ministers, MPs, Indian leaders and volunteers who attended the appreciation dinner at Marina Bay Sands’ Sands Grand Ballroom.

A tribute video was screened, and organisers gifted him intricately designed elephant sculptures as a token of appreciation for his support for the Indian community during his tenure as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2024.

SM Lee said the Indian community has progressed with the nation, and made considerable contributions in many fields.

While the community may be small, it has played a full role in Singaporean society and worked with other communities to contribute in many ways, he added.

This shows the success of Singapore’s multiracial model, which has created full and equal opportunities, a harmonious society and better lives for all, including the minority communities, SM Lee said.

He acknowledged the migrants from many parts of the Indian subcontinent – including Tamils, Malayalees, Telugus, Sindhis, Punjabis, Bengalis and Sinhalese – who came to modern Singapore in its earliest days in search of a better future, and who formed part of the Singapore story.

“These different groups sank roots here, formed bonds with one another, and out of this kaleidoscope of backgrounds, there gradually emerged a distinctive and proud Singaporean Indian community,” he said.

Ms Indulekha, a volunteer with the Malayalam Language Education Society, handing SM Lee Hsien Loong a flame to light a vilaku, or traditional oil lamp, on Jan 11.ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
SM Lee said the Singaporean Indian community is flourishing, benefiting from the efforts of self-help community organisations, such as Sinda, and the People’s Association’s Indian Activity Executive Committees Council, or Narpani Pearavai.

Cheques of $150,000 each were presented to the Singapore Indian Education Trust and Sinda during the dinner.

The community organisations can do good work because of the strong support of many selfless volunteers, he said, noting that their ranks include those who have moved to Singapore only recently.

Some have become permanent residents or citizens, while others are here temporarily, for school, family or work.

Regardless, they should be applauded for willingly stepping up to volunteer, said SM Lee, noting that this new crop comes from a wider range of backgrounds and places than earlier generations of Indian immigrants.

They add vibrancy and dynamism to Singapore’s Indian culture, and thus are contributing to the community and the country, he added.

The strength of the Indian community here has enabled it to reach out confidently to the rest of the world, SM Lee said, noting that Singapore has developed a healthy and extensive relationship with India and other countries in the subcontinent.

The Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (Ceca) with India has helped to foster extensive trade, investment, and travel links between the countries, he said.

“Many Indian companies have set up in Singapore to serve the region, while many local Indian businesses have successfully forayed into the Indian market,” he added.

“India is growing, and on the move,” said SM Lee, with Singapore seeing many opportunities to expand cooperation on several fronts such as bilateral trade, skills training and fintech, alongside exploring fields like healthcare, as well as digital and green economies.

“Singapore has a good brand name in India, and we have enjoyed very good ties with successive Indian governments,” he said, urging the Indian business community to make the most of these advantages.

So who the naive one????

 

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Singapore, India to launch roadmap on cooperation under Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: PM Wong​

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong noted that many ideas for cooperation were a result of the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR).

Summary

• PM Wong's India visit highlights strong Singapore-India cooperation, paving the way for a new bilateral relations roadmap.
• Semiconductor agreement reached, including a "green lane" for goods and Gujarat skills training centre.
• Singapore remains confident in India's growth, and will continue to invest.

AI generated

Sep 04, 2025

SINGAPORE - Singapore and India have made good progress in various areas of cooperation, and are set to launch a roadmap that will set out a clear direction and vision for the next phase of bilateral relations, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Sept 3, on his official visit to India.

The roadmap, which PM Wong and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to announce on Sept 4, sets out cooperation in areas such as semiconductors, maritime and digital connectivity, and the space industry.

PM Wong was speaking with the Hindustan Times during his first official visit to India as Prime Minister. A transcript of the interview was released by the Prime Minister’s Office.

He is in New Delhi until Sept 4, at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mark 60 years of diplomatic ties between Singapore and India.

PM Wong noted that many ideas for cooperation were a result of the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR), an ongoing dialogue mechanism started in 2022 to “inject new energy” into bilateral ties. The aim was to take the relationship forward, given that the landmark Singapore-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) was signed more than 20 years ago.

Thus, when India and Singapore agreed in 2024 to upgrade bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, “it is not just in name, it is in substance”, said PM Wong.

“And that is what the India-Singapore cooperation is based on – not just on words and rhetoric, but also on concrete action and outcomes,” he added.

“And I believe in this very turbulent world that we are in, the bilateral relationship between our two countries has become more important than ever.”

On cooperation in the semiconductor industry, PM Wong said both sides have signed an agreement and made progress in three different areas.


They include setting up a green lane for semiconductor goods, such as raw materials, equipment, and other supplies, supporting India in training technicians and workers for the industry through a joint training centre in Gujarat, and also collaborating in research and innovation.

Semiconductors, used to make microchips that power computers, mobile phones and cars, are crucial to the digital economy, and PM Wong said India was in a good position to contribute to a more diversified and resilient supply chain.

Many of the semiconductor players in Singapore, which are leading global companies, are also keen to forge links with Indian companies to grow their business, he added.

Singapore is also keen to support India’s development in this area, because a strong and rising India will contribute to stability, resilience and shared prosperity in Asia, he said.

PM Wong also said that he was optimistic about India’s growth prospects in the long run, despite the current geopolitical uncertainties, because of the country’s young population, rising middle class, dynamic technology sector, and a government that was committed to reforms.

This confidence was not new, he added, and is backed by a proven track record and actions such as growing trade between both sides since CECA was signed in 2005.


“So we will continue to invest in India. We will continue to have confidence in India’s prospects for the future,” he said.

Singapore is India’s top foreign investor, accounting for about a quarter of India’s foreign direct investment equity inflows since 2000.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (right) speaking with Mr Rezaul Hasan Laskar, Foreign Affairs Editor, Hindustan Times, at the Taj Mahal Hotel, on Sept 3.

PHOTO: MDDI

Asked how Singapore can navigate the tensions between the big economic powers, PM Wong said one thing it can proactively do is to work with like-minded countries.

“Work with like-minded countries to foster closer links, to operate on the basis of a rules-based trading framework to bring our economies closer together and to find win-win outcomes,” he said.

This is something Singapore and India can do, given their strategic partnership built on 60 years of friendship and trust, he noted.

“In this very uncertain world, there is all the more reason for us to double down on this very critical India-Singapore relationship, and I certainly look forward to doing so with Prime Minister Modi,” said PM Wong.

 

[k1976]

Bayee want a roadmap to drive progress in their projects

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

S’pore, India exchange five MOUs, agree on ‘ambitious’ road map to chart next phase of ties​

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Sept 4.

Summary

• Singapore and India marked 60 years of ties, agreeing on "an ambitious roadmap" to deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP).
• Five agreements were signed, covering digital assets innovation, green shipping, aviation training, skills development, and space industries cooperation.
• Both leaders emphasised the importance of their relationship amid global uncertainty, highlighting shared values and mutual interests in various sectors.

AI generated

Sep 04, 2025

NEW DELHI – Singapore and India have signed and exchanged five agreements to deepen cooperation across a range of sectors, such as skills development in advanced manufacturing, and green and digital shipping.

Both sides also hammered out “an ambitious and detailed road map” to chart the next phase of their bilateral relationship as the two countries mark 60 years of ties, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Sept 4.

Speaking to the press at Hyderabad House after their closed-door meeting, PM Wong and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi emphasised the deep and forward-looking nature of cooperation between Singapore and India, which is based on shared values.


Before making their remarks, PM Wong and Mr Modi had witnessed the exchange of a joint statement on the road map for the comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP) between the two countries, as well as five memorandums of understanding.

The five pacts covered digital asset innovation, such as better support for cross-border data flows between each country’s central bank and capital market linkages; and establishing a green and digital shipping corridor with infrastructure and technologies to allow for the use of fuels with near-zero greenhouse gas emission.

They also included cooperation in civil aviation training, research and development; skills development in emerging sectors like semiconductors, electronics, and aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul; as well as in space industries like satellite communication.

To date, more than 20 Singapore-made satellites have been launched by India. Both countries will broaden this partnership and push the boundaries of what can be achieved together, said PM Wong.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (third from right) at a delegation meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi (across from PM Wong) at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Sept 4.


Both leaders also witnessed the virtual inauguration of Phase 2 of PSA Mumbai, a container terminal at Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Navi Mumbai operated by PSA International.

The Phase 2 extension, when completed, would make PSA Mumbai India’s largest single container terminal.


In his remarks, PM Wong said that India has in the last decade made remarkable advances under Mr Modi’s leadership, and as the fourth-largest economy in the world today, its dynamism and influence are felt far beyond its borders.

The Singapore-India relationship has grown in tandem, and has also become more important in a world marked by great uncertainty and turbulence. This is as the partnership is rooted in mutual respect and a deep reservoir of trust, he added.

“We can draw strength from our shared history, and the friendship and trust between our people,” he said. “And together, we can strengthen resilience, seize new opportunities and contribute to stability and growth in our region and beyond.”

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Sept 4.


Mr Modi said that collaboration between the two countries has not been limited to just traditional areas, but has changed with the times to cover new fields such as advanced manufacturing, green shipping, skills development, civil nuclear cooperation and urban water management.

To boost mutual trade, Singapore and India have also decided to review the bilateral Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) in a timely manner, while India is also reviewing its free trade agreement with Asean, he added.

Since CECA entered into force in 2005, annual trade has grown by about 2.5 times, from $20 billion in 2005 to $52.2 billion in 2023.


The Indian Prime Minister noted that over the past year, chief ministers from four Indian states – Odisha, Telangana, Assam and Andhra Pradesh – had visited Singapore, while Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam had visited India.

“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.

PM Wong is on the last day of his first official visit to India as head of government from Sept 2 to 4.

His visit to New Delhi, at the invitation of Mr Modi, coincides with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Singapore and India had agreed to elevate diplomatic ties to a CSP about a year ago, when Mr Modi visited Singapore in September 2024.

Under the CSP road map, Singapore and India committed to strengthening economic cooperation, including through a substantial review of the Asean-India Trade in Goods Agreement in 2025, the two governments said in a joint statement on Sept 4.

The two sides will also deepen their cooperation in seven other areas: skills development, digitalisation, sustainability, connectivity, healthcare, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and defence cooperation.

At PM Wong’s meeting with Mr Modi on Sept 4, the two leaders exchanged views on regional and international developments, including the need to promote economic integration, strengthen multilateralism and uphold the rules-based international order, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Separately, PM Wong had meetings with Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.