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.