- India and Singapore unveiled a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership roadmap covering eight sectors, including AI, semiconductors, green shipping, and healthcare, along with signing five MoUs on digital infrastructure, renewable energy, and urban solutions.
- Defence ties deepened with the 16th Defence Working Group Meeting and SIMBEX naval drills, highlighting cooperation on maritime security, cyber, and space technologies in the Indo-Pacific.
- Singapore remained India’s largest foreign investor, with nearly USD 15 billion invested in infrastructure, fintech, renewable energy, and start-ups, while CECA 2.0 aims to expand digital trade and green finance opportunities.
- Cultural diplomacy strengthened through events like the North East India Festival in Singapore, reinforcing people-to-people links and centuries-old cultural and maritime connections.
In 2025, India and Singapore marked 60 years of diplomatic relations between them, with leaders on both sides pledging to advance the partnership into uncharted arenas from artificial intelligence to maritime security while grounding it securely along people-to-people and economy-to-economy ties.
The milestone arrived at a pivotal juncture in Asia’s geopolitical history, with both countries searching for ways to reconcile tradition and innovation. Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong paid a state visit to India for three days from 2nd September to 4th September 2025 and held extensive discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The visit was widely regarded as a reiteration of Singapore’s confidence in India’s ascent and of India’s realisation of Singapore as its most reliable partner among Southeast Asian powers.
A Roadmap for the Next Decade
The highlights of the visit were the unveiling of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) roadmap as a blueprint for long-term collaboration in eight sectors, i.e. economy, skills, digitalisation, sustainability, connectivity, healthcare, cultural exchanges and defence.
The roadmap is the first to move into frontier sectors that will drive the global economy:
- AI, quantum technology for trailblazing innovation.
- Semiconductors and civil nuclear power, which India looks to enhance its domestic capacity.
- Green shipping and urban water management are critical to both climate goals and urban resilience.
Five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed on the sidelines of the roadmap, including those on collaboration on digital public infrastructure, renewable energy, healthcare training and smart urban solutions.
Prime Minister Modi called it “a union of peoples and ideas”, while Prime Minister Wong said, “India is a partner in innovation, trade and stability, and Singapore is proud to strengthen this friendship as we focus on the next 60 years”.
Defence Ties in the Indo-Pacific Context
Economics dominated the first half of the visit, while security cooperation took centre stage in the second half. The 16th Defence Working Group Meeting was co-chaired by the two representatives on September 4, 2025, in Singapore. They reassured their commitment to maritime security, joint training, as well as new defence technologies, such as cyber and space security.
This comes after the curtain was run down on the 32nd edition of SIMBEX (Singapore–India Maritime Bilateral Exercise) in the South China Sea, one of the world’s most disputed waterways, earlier this year. The drills emphasised not only the interoperability of the two navies but also their joint responsibility for ensuring open international shipping routes.
Moreover, Singapore’s status as a hub for regional naval logistics has made it a critical partner for India, which is very keen to expand its footprint in the Indo-Pacific. Although Singapore is not an official member of the Quad grouping, its strong relationship with both the United States and India places it in a special position in the new Indo-Pacific strategy.
Economic Trust and FDI Flows
Singapore, for its part, has been India’s largest investor from abroad, a trend that the Economist says persisted into 2024–25 with investments of just under USD 15 billion. A great deal of that money flows through Singapore’s sovereign wealth funds, including Temasek and GIC, both with investments in India’s infrastructure, fintech, renewable energy and start-up ecosystem.
Bilateral trade under the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) continues to be strong. CECA 2.0 is also under negotiation, aimed at including new chapters on digital trade, intellectual property rights and green finance. Officials state that the upgrade could open up billions in new trade. Further, Singapore has become the financial gateway of choice for India, and India is the most stable regulatory environment and investor-friendly country in Southeast Asia.
Cultural Diplomacy: A People’s Partnership
Beyond diplomacy and economics, cultural ties have been a key pillar of the India–Singapore relationship. Singapore has a significant Indian-origin population, comprising primarily Tamils, who are descendants of early Tamil settlers. It also includes other communities of South India, such as Malayalees and Telugus. Smaller groups of North Indians, including Punjabis and Sindhis, form a modest share of this population. For decades, the Indian diaspora has served as both a cultural and economic bridge between India and Singapore.
Singapore will hold the North East India Festival between September 19 and 21, 2025, at Suntec Singapore Convention Centre, which will showcase the rich cultural traditions, crafts, cuisine, reflections and travel potential of India’s North East. Performances by folk troupes, fashion shows with handloom textiles, and business roundtables on tourism and start-ups are some of the items on the agenda of the event.
The festival will “draw India’s diversity closer to Singapore’s multicultural society” and deepen “people-to-people links”, or leaders on both sides say, the real bedrock of the relationship.
The Significance Of This Anniversary
The 60th anniversary marks not just a ceremonial anniversary. India and Singapore have centuries-long relations through maritime and cultural ties, with trade and the spread of Hindu-Buddhist influence connecting both regions.
In contemporary times, Singapore has also been India’s gateway to ASEAN. It was the first nation with which India signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in the region. It was also a vigorous backer of India’s Act East Policy. Strategically, Singapore has supported India’s quest for a larger role in regional security architectures, and India has welcomed Singapore’s role as a neutral convening power in Southeast Asia.
Looking Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities
From a lofty vision, however, obstacles are apparent. India’s quest for manufacturing, especially in semiconductors, will demand continued investment and technology transfers. Singapore, on the other hand, is managing its close relationships with both the US and China, a balancing act that in turn influences how it approaches India.
But diplomats and analysts agree that the partnership has evolved away from purely transactional offers. With yearly ministerial roundtables that will monitor progress, both governments are eager to create accountability and follow through.
With the celebrations concluded and the focus shifting to substantive collaboration, India and Singapore stand out as natural partners in shaping the evolving Asian landscape. Sustained by defence collaboration, healthy economic links and a plethora of effervescent cultural bridges, the two countries are in a partnership that fuses both tradition and innovation, which could help shape the next phase of regional diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific.
References:
- 1.https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-singapore-seal-five-pacts-pledge-to-enhance-trade-and-investment-101757002418187.html
- 2.https://www.newsonair.gov.in/india-singapore-hold-16th-defence-working-group-meeting-in-singapore/
- 3.https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/finance/singapore-remains-biggest-fdi-source-for-india-for-7th-straight-year/articleshow/121546002.cms?from=mdr
Megna Devkar is a Ph.D. Research Scholar at K.C. Law College with research and writing expertise in social, political, and legal issues. Views expressed are the author’s own.
Parag Gilada 
Piyush Anand 
Daljeet Singh