S'pore, India sign 5 MOUS, agree on road map for next phase of ties

PM Wong: Bilateral relationship has become more important amid great uncertainty

- Goh Yan Han

Singapore and India have signed and exchanged five agreements to deepen cooperation across a range of sectors, such as skills development in advanced manufacturing, and green and digital shipping.

Both sides also hammered out "an ambitious and detailed road map" to chart the next phase of their bilateral relationship as the two countries mark 60 years of ties, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Sept 4.

Speaking to the press at Hyderabad House after their closed-door meeting, PM Wong and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi emphasised the deep and forward-looking nature of cooperation between Singapore and India, which is based on shared values.

Before making their remarks, PM Wong and Mr Modi had witnessed the exchange of a joint statement on the road map for the comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP) between the two countries, as well as five memorandums of understanding.

The five pacts covered digital asset innovation, such as better support for cross-border data flows between each country's central bank and capital market linkages; and establishing a green and digital shipping corridor with infrastructure and technologies to allow for the use of fuels with near-zero greenhouse gas emission.

They also included cooperation in civil aviation training, research and development; skills development in emerging sectors like semiconductors, electronics, and aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul; as well as in space industries like satellite communication.