New Delhi, August 13 (HS): India and Singapore have reaffirmed their commitment to accelerating their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with senior leaders from both nations convening in New Delhi for the third India–Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR). The high-powered meeting placed strong emphasis on boosting collaboration between government and industry to unlock the next phase of bilateral growth.
Representing India were External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, and Electronics & IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Singapore’s delegation was led by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, along with Coordinating Minister for National Security and Home Affairs K. Shanmugam, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Digital Development and Information Minister Josephine Teo, Minister for Manpower Dr. Tan See Leng, and Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow.
Discussions spanned six core pillars of the partnership — digitalization, skill development, sustainability, healthcare, connectivity, and advanced manufacturing. Dr. Jaishankar noted that deeper synergy between the public and private sectors would be the “key to unlocking the next chapter” in India–Singapore relations.
The roundtable also featured engagement with the India–Singapore Business Forum, aiming to advance initiatives in green energy (including a proposed undersea solar power link and green hydrogen exports), innovation-driven manufacturing, talent development in aviation and semiconductors, and cutting-edge digital connectivity projects.
Elevated to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership status during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Singapore in September 2024, India–Singapore relations have grown into one of the region’s most robust economic linkages — Singapore is India’s largest trading partner in ASEAN and a leading source of FDI.
Against a backdrop of global economic uncertainty, the third ISMR served as both a confidence-building measure and a blueprint for a future defined by sustainable growth, advanced technology, and enduring regional cooperation.
---------------
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
