Why in news?
The Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong visited India officially from September 2 to September 4, 2025. This visit marked his first to India since taking office and coincided with the 60th anniversary of India-Singapore diplomatic relations.
 
The roadmap articulates cooperation in eight critical areas:

• Economic cooperation
• Skills development (including collaboration on India's National Centre of Excellence for Skills in Chennai)
• Digitalization
• Sustainability and green economy (including green shipping)
• Connectivity (maritime, air, digital)
• Healthcare and medicine
• People-to-people and cultural exchanges
• Defence and security cooperation

Key Highlights and Outcomes

• The leaders elevated their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), which was announced last year during PM Modi’s visit to Singapore, and now they set a detailed roadmap to advance this partnership.
• Both sides agreed to undertake a time-bound review of the India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) and the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) to further accelerate bilateral trade.
• Singapore continues to be India's largest source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), with cumulative FDI from Singapore to India nearing $170 billion as of FY 2024-25.
• Expansion of cooperation in emerging areas such as semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, space technology, skill development, urban water management, and civil nuclear energy.
• Singapore pledged support for India's semiconductor ecosystem and skill development, including collaborating on state-level skill centers focused on industries like aviation maintenance and semiconductors.
• The two Prime Ministers emphasized people-to-people ties as a foundation for the relationship and discussed further promoting exchanges in education and civil service cooperation.
• Both leaders also exchanged views on global issues, promoting multilateralism, ASEAN-India relations, economic integration, and a rules-based international order.

Statements

• PM Modi described the partnership as one with "purpose," rooted in shared values and mutual interest, aiming for peace, progress, and prosperity.
• PM Wong highlighted the substantial progress made in the bilateral relationship, emphasizing that it is built on concrete cooperation with momentum in new sectors, not just rhetoric.
• The relationship was characterized as future-oriented, robust, and expanding beyond traditional sectors.

This high-level visit and the roadmap aim to deepen ties between India and Singapore, reinforcing their strategic, economic, and people-centric partnership in a complex global environment.

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