PM Modi received a warm welcome from the Indian diaspora upon his arrival in Singapore, with traditional Maharashtrian dance and drums greeting him at the airport. This is Modi’s first visit to Singapore since 2018.
“Landed in Singapore.Looking forward to the various meetings aimed at boosting the India-Singapore friendship,” PM Modi said on X.
When he arrived at the hotel, he was once again warmly welcomed by members of the Indian community. He engaged with them, watched a traditional dance performance, and even played the dhol.
LIVE: Members of Indian community in Singapore accord a warm welcome to PM Modi
The Prime Minister of Singapore hosted PM Modi for dinner at the iconic Sri Temasek bungalow.
The visit followed closely on the heels of the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable, which took place on August 26 and saw the participation of four Union Ministers from India and six ministers from Singapore. The roundtable identified several areas for collaboration, including digitisation, skills development, sustainability, health, advanced manufacturing, and connectivity.
Several MoUs signed
India and Singapore signed four significant Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) on Thursday, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second day of his visit to the island nation. The agreements were exchanged by external affairs minister S Jaishankar and minister of foreign affairs in Singapore Vivian Balakrishnan, in the presence of Prime Minister Modi and his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong at the Parliament House of Singapore.
LIVE: PM Modi, PM Wong of Singapore witness exchange of MoUs and agreements
The first MoU, signed between Singapore’s ministry of digital development and information and India’s ministry of electronics and information technology, aims to enhance cooperation in digital technologies such as DPI (Digital Public Infrastructure), cyber-security, 5G, and emerging technologies like super-computing, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence. It also facilitates the upskilling and reskilling of workers in the digital domain.
The second MoU, signed between India’s ministry of electronics and information technology and Singapore’s ministry of trade and industry, establishes a partnership for the India-Singapore semiconductor ecosystem. Both countries will collaborate on semiconductor cluster development and nurturing talent in semiconductor design and manufacturing. This MoU will facilitate investments by Singaporean companies, which are part of global semiconductor value chains, in India.
The third MoU, signed between India’s ministry of health and family welfare and Singapore’s ministry of health, focuses on cooperation in the fields of health and medicine. It aims to promote joint efforts in research and innovation, as well as closer cooperation in human resource development in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sector. This agreement will also support efforts to promote Indian healthcare professionals in Singapore.
The final MoU, signed between India’s ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship and Singapore’s ministry of education, aims to foster educational cooperation and skills development, particularly in the areas of technical and vocational education and training. This agreement will complement the ongoing initiatives between India and Singapore in the area of skill development.
Bilateral talks
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with his counterpart Lawrence Wong on Thursday, India and Singapore elevated their bilateral ties to a “comprehensive strategic partnership”. “Given the breadth and depth of bilateral ties and immense potential, they decided to elevate the relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This would also give a major boost to India’s Act East Policy. Taking stock of the robust progress in economic ties, the leaders called for further expanding trade and investment flows between the two countries,” ministry of external affairs said in a statement.
The talks between the two leaders encompassed the upcoming 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between their nations, set to be commemorated in 2025. Prime Minister highlighted the significance of cultural bonds in the bilateral relationship and announced plans to establish India’s inaugural Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre in Singapore, as per the official statement.
Economy in focus
The leaders acknowledged the substantial growth in economic relations between the two nations and called for the need to further enhance trade and investment exchanges.
“Prime Minister highlighted that Singapore, with an investment of around USD 160 billion in the Indian economy, is a leading economic partner for India,” MEA said in the statement. PM Modi also pointed out that India’s consistent and rapid economic development has created vast investment prospects for Singaporean companies.
The leaders also assessed the current state of collaboration in various sectors, including defence and security, maritime domain awareness, education, AI, Fintech, emerging technologies, science and technology, and knowledge partnership. “The two leaders called for strengthening connectivity between the countries to enhance economic and people-to-people ties. They also called for acceleration in green corridor projects,” the release by external affairs ministry said.