Singapore City [Singapore], August 12 (ANI): The third India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) will be held in New Delhi on August 13, serving as an important ministerial-level platform to drive cooperation in new and emerging areas between the two countries, according to an official statement by Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
The ISMR will review progress since the second roundtable in Singapore in August 2024 and identify new growth opportunities to deepen bilateral collaboration. Leading the Singapore delegation is Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong.
Other members of the Singapore delegation include Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo, Minister for Manpower and Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science and Technology Tan See Leng, and Acting Minister for Transport and Senior Minister of State for Finance Jeffrey Siow.
The Indian delegation will be led by Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, and Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Railways, and Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The roundtable continues the momentum of high-level visits and exchanges between India and Singapore, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2025. This milestone reflects both nations’ commitment to strengthening bilateral ties.
Singapore-India relations are deep and broad-based, with 2025 also marking the 10th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership. Earlier this year, Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam visited India, meeting President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In September 2024, Prime Minister Modi visited Singapore, where both countries agreed to elevate ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Economic cooperation remains a key pillar, anchored by the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) signed in 2005. Bilateral trade has grown from S$20 billion in 2005 to S$52.2 billion in 2023. Singapore is India’s top foreign investor, accounting for 24 percent of India’s FDI equity inflows since 2000. Indian investments in Singapore have risen from S$481 million in 2004 to about S$31.6 billion in 2023.
Singaporean companies are investing in Indian manufacturing, sustainability, data centers, and technology innovation. Singapore also serves as a regional hub for many Indian start-ups, particularly in fintech and healthtech.
In sustainability, both countries collaborate on next-generation industrial parks promoting economic growth and low-carbon development, including a jointly developed Framework for Net Zero Industrial Parks with Tamil Nadu, launched in June 2025.
In digitalization, the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Reserve Bank of India launched a real-time payments linkage between PayNow and India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in February 2023, enabling instant fund transfers. Capital market cooperation advanced through the NSE-SGX GIFT Connect, a derivatives trading linkage in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City. Plans are underway to explore cross-border data flows via a pilot corridor in GIFT City.
Cybersecurity cooperation is expanding, with the first India-Singapore Cyber Policy Dialogue in October 2024 facilitating exchanges on national cyber strategies. Skills development also remains a priority, with Singapore’s Institute of Technical Education Services (ITEES) establishing five skills centers in India and expanding partnerships with Odisha and Assam in semiconductors, aerospace, AI, and other sectors.
A Joint Flagship Programme for Skills Training is being established to target sectors of mutual interest, ensuring alignment with industry needs through private sector collaboration.
In advanced manufacturing, the India-Singapore Semiconductor Ecosystem Partnership MOU, signed during Prime Minister Modi’s 2024 visit, promotes policy exchanges on ecosystem development, supply chain resilience, and workforce growth.
Connectivity between the two nations is strong. Singapore’s PSA has operated four maritime terminals in India for over 25 years. Singapore Airlines owns a 25.1 percent stake in Air India, and SIA Engineering plans to collaborate on maintenance, repair, and overhaul facilities for Air India’s expanding fleet. Both countries also aim to establish a Green and Digital Shipping Corridor to facilitate sustainable shipping and trade in green fuels.
The third India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable will reinforce their strategic partnership and advance cooperation across diverse sectors to strengthen mutual growth and prosperity.
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