India to host Singapore ministers for key talks ahead of PM Wong's visit

NEW DELHI: The Indian government will host the third India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR), a key platform for advancing cooperation on issues of mutual interest including new and emerging areas, on August 13 this week. The talks will also set the stage for a visit to India by Singapore PM Lawrence Wong in the first week of September.

The 2 sides had upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Singapore last year.

While the Singapore delegation comprising several ministers will be led by deputy PM and trade minister Gan Kim Yong, Indian delegation will see participation by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, foreign minister S Jaishankar, commerce minister Piyush Goyal and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The ministers are expected to explore opportunities to deepen cooperation across the six pillars of sustainability, digitalisation, skills development, healthcare and medicine, advanced manufacturing, and connectivity.

In advanced manufacturing, Singapore is looking to strengthen cooperation with India in the field of semiconductor manufacturing. This will support India’s growing semiconductor industry while facilitating the participation of Singapore semiconductor ecosystem players in the fast-growing Indian market, according to Singapore authorities. Singapore is also looking to establish a Green and Digital Shipping Corridor between Singapore and India to facilitate shipping and support the trading and use of green fuels.