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Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Press Statements

Official Visit of Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong to India, 2 to 4 September 2025

Country

India

4 September 2025

Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong is on an Official Visit to India from 2 to 4 September 2025.

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Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong is on an Official Visit to India from 2 to 4 September 2025.

On 4 September 2025, Prime Minister Wong met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The leaders welcomed the strong progress in bilateral cooperation following Prime Minister Modi’s Official Visit to Singapore in September 2024 and the third India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable in August 2025.

The Prime Ministers discussed ways to enhance cooperation in forward-looking areas such as sustainability, digitalisation, connectivity, skills development, advanced manufacturing and semiconductors, space, and biotechnology. Prime Minister Wong encouraged both sides to strengthen cross-border data flows and capital markets collaboration. The Prime Ministers reaffirmed the importance of strengthening people-to-people exchanges, including between our civil services through scholarships and study visits.

They also exchanged views on regional and international developments, including the need to promote economic integration, strengthen multilateralism and ASEAN-India relations, and uphold the rules-based international order. 

Prime Minister Wong and Prime Minister Modi adopted the Roadmap for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) between Singapore and India (at Annex A). The CSP will set the vision and direction for the next phase of bilateral relations and deepen cooperation in the areas of: (a) Economic Cooperation; (b) Skills Development; (c) Digitalisation; (d) Sustainability; (e) Connectivity; (f) Healthcare and Medicine; (g) People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges; and (h) Defence and Security Cooperation. Both leaders agreed that these areas were critical for addressing shared challenges and securing long-term resilience in an increasingly complex global environment. 

Following their meeting, the Prime Ministers held a Joint Press Conference. They witnessed the exchange of the CSP Roadmap as well as five Memoranda of Understanding (details at Annex B), and virtually inaugurated Phase 2 of PSA Mumbai (Bharat Mumbai Container Terminal) (details of PSA Mumbai at Annex C). Prime Minister Modi also hosted a Banquet Lunch in Prime Minister Wong’s honour.

Earlier in the visit, Prime Minister Wong visited the Raj Ghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, received calls by Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Jagat Prakash Nadda, Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman, and Minister of External Affairs Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Prime Minister Wong also engaged Indian business leaders at a roundtable event and met overseas Singaporeans in New Delhi at a reception to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Singapore-India diplomatic relations and Singapore’s 60th year of independence.

Prime Minister Wong will call on President of the Republic of India Droupadi Murmu later this afternoon. He will also receive separate calls by Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval this afternoon. Prime Minister Wong departs for Singapore tonight.

.     .     .     .     .

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

4 SEPTEMBER 2025

Annex A – Joint Statement on Singapore-India CSP Roadmap

JOINT STATEMENT ON THE ROADMAP FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

BETWEEN INDIA AND SINGAPORE

ON THE OCCASION OF THE OFFICIAL VISIT OF HIS EXCELLENCY MR. LAWRENCE WONG,
PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE, TO THE REPUBLIC OF INDIA

1. At the invitation of H.E. Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, H.E. Mr. Lawrence Wong, Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, paid an Official Visit to India from 2 to 4 September 2025.

2. On 4 September 2025, Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Wong held wide-ranging discussions. Thereafter, the leaders witnessed the exchange of various Memoranda of Understanding. Prime Minister Wong attended the Banquet Lunch  hosted by Prime Minister Modi. He also called on President of India, H.E. Smt Droupadi Murmu. Prime Minister Wong also visited Raj Ghat to pay floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi. External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar called on Prime Minister Wong.

3. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Both Prime Ministers acknowledged India and Singapore’s long tradition of friendship based on trust and mutual respect, and extensive cooperation across a wide range of areas. They reviewed and expressed satisfaction over the progress in the bilateral relationship, including through the recent high-level engagements such as the Official Visit of Prime Minister Modi to Singapore in September 2024, the State Visit of the President of the Republic of Singapore H.E. Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam to India in January 2025 and the 3rd India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable in New Delhi in August 2025. The ties have developed into an all-round cooperation, including in the areas of political, economic, security, technology, education, people-to-people and cultural links.

4. Both Prime Ministers recalled the agreement to elevate bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), during Prime Minister Modi’s Official Visit to Singapore in September 2024. Building on this, they agreed to adopt a forward-looking and substantive roadmap for the CSP that would set the vision and direction for the next phase of bilateral relations, and deepen cooperation in eight areas: (i) Economic Cooperation; (ii) Skills Development; (iii) Digitalisation; (iv) Sustainability; (v) Connectivity; (vi) Healthcare and Medicine; (vii) People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges; and (viii) Defence and Security Cooperation.

ROADMAP FOR THE CSP

Economic Cooperation: Strengthening Economic Ties and Enhancing Collaboration in New and Forward-Looking Areas

  • Deepen bilateral trade and access to markets, including through building on the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), and taking into consideration both countries’ trade priorities through the annual Meeting of Joint Working Group on Trade and Investments;

  • Both sides will continue to engage in dialogue and make progress on initiation of the Third Review of CECA and achieve substantial Review of the ASEAN India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) in 2025;

  • Support the growth of India’s semiconductor industry and ecosystem including through cooperation under the India-Singapore Semiconductor Policy Dialogue; facilitating partnerships with Singapore companies; advancing resilient semiconductor supply chains; exploring mutually beneficial research and development collaborations; promoting workforce development; and encouraging business-to-business cooperation through information sharing, exchange of best practices, direct investments, and potential partnerships between Indian and Singapore firms;

  • Jointly develop sustainable industrial parks and next-generation industrial parks with advanced manufacturing capabilities, including through facilitating ventures and partnerships, government-to-government cooperation in knowledge sharing, capacity training, green standards implementation, master planning, and promotion;

  • Jointly enhance India-Singapore capital market connectivity and build on the close collaboration on joint initiatives such as the NSE-IFSC-SGX GIFT Connect;

  • Strengthen partnerships and collaboration between the business communities in India and Singapore, especially in areas that complement the bilateral cooperation agenda, and deepen business-to-business engagement such as through the  India-Singapore Business Roundtable (ISBR);

  • Promote joint collaboration in the space sector, including between the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and the Office for Space Technology & Industry, Singapore and both countries’ space industries; in space policy and law; and in research and development activities in areas of mutual interest such as Earth observation and satellite communication technologies and applications;

  • Enhance legal and dispute resolution cooperation, where possible, with a view to addressing the businesses' needs of both sides, through the involvement of the relevant Ministries of India and Singapore;

Skills Development: Partnering in Skills Development and Capacity Building

  • Jointly develop a National Centre of Excellence in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on Advanced Manufacturing, which will focus on boosting industry connection and collaborating on standards in curriculum, train-the-trainers, developing a skills certification framework, and periodic review and assessment to maintain quality; and collaborating with the private sector to develop skill centres in sectors of mutual interest, including Advanced Manufacturing, Aviation and Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO);

  • Promote cooperation in capability development in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and skills development; collaboration in the field of technical education between Higher Education institutes; exchange of information and best practices with regard to reskilling and upskilling the workforce; student and staff exchanges; facilitation of student internships and faculty industrial attachments, and teacher training. Both sides will establish a Joint Working Group to facilitate and review progress across the education and skills development agenda;

  • Build on strong existing collaboration between the Singapore skilling ecosystem and India, to support state level skilling cooperation with Singapore, such as the Singapore-Assam Nursing Talent Skills Cooperation;

Digitalisation: Deepening Cooperation  in Digital and Financial Technologies

  • Strengthen Digital Finance and Fintech cooperation between India and Singapore, as well as cyber security and capital market linkages, including through the  Fintech  Joint Working Group; 

  • Share experiences and exchange technical expertise in digital solutions, and explore their implementation through pilot projects;

  • Enhance collaboration between start-up and Small and Medium Enterprise ecosystems of both sides with the aim of facilitating partnerships in the digital domain;

  • Strengthen cooperation between stakeholders on both sides on cyber policies, CERT-CERT information exchange, cyber security capacity building and cybersecurity related issues;

  • Regarding GIFT City-Singapore cooperation, officials from relevant agencies and regulatory authorities in India and Singapore to convene a Joint Working Group to kickstart discussions on the framework as well as to identify and trial potential use cases such as data types where the framework could apply to;

  • Explore collaboration opportunities in critical and emerging technologies, to promote innovation, inclusive and sustainable economic growth; under the existing Joint Working Group on Digital Technologies;

  • Explore cooperation on Artificial Intelligence through the sharing of best practices for developing AI-ready data sets and building data-driven AI use cases in sectors such as agriculture, health care, and education;

  • Expand and maximise the potential of paperless and secure cross-border merchant and personal payments using the UPI-PayNow Linkage  as a foundation;

  • Strengthen the adoption of the TradeTrust framework between India and Singapore for interoperable e-Bills of Lading and facilitating more reliable and secure trade documents;

Sustainability: Exploring Collaboration Opportunities in Sustainable Development and Green Trade

  • Step up cooperation in ongoing and new areas including green hydrogen and ammonia production and trade;

  • Explore cooperation in the area of urban water management;

  • Explore avenues of cooperation in the civil nuclear domain;

  • Work towards a mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation framework under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement to address the challenge of climate change;

  • Collaborate on green and sustainable initiatives in relevant multilateral frameworks such as the International Solar Alliance and Global Biofuels Alliance, of which Singapore is a member;

  • Deepen cooperation on food security such as through promoting the exports of food products between India and Singapore and to third countries, including by exploring country-level accreditation for select exports;

Connectivity: Expanding Maritime and Aviation Connectivity

  • Support the establishment of an India-Singapore Green and Digital Shipping Corridor (GDSC) between the Port of Singapore and ports in India to deepen maritime connectivity and work towards the establishment of a green maritime fuel corridor;

  • Deepen ecosystem collaboration in India’s growing aviation and aerospace MRO sectors  through the partnerships between Indian and Singapore companies in these sectors, including the sharing of Singapore’s expertise and the provision of  upskilling opportunities;

  • Both Prime Ministers recognized the growth in travel demand between the two countries, and encouraged the civil aviation authorities of both countries to discuss expanding the bilateral Air Services Agreement to enhance air connectivity;

  • Explore partnerships in capacity building and airport development, including the exchange of experience and expertise in airport consultancy and management services for Indian airports;

  • Both sides committed to enhancing cooperation on  Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) towards promoting cleaner and sustainable energy solutions in the aviation sector;

Healthcare and Medicine: Strengthening Healthcare and Medicine Cooperation

  • Deepen collaboration in health and medicine fields under the MOU on Cooperation in the Field of Health and Medicine, including human resource development, digital health intervention and disease surveillance, maternal and child health and nutrition, health policy, with a focus on access to medical products and regulatory facilitation of collaborative research, combatting communicable and non-communicable disease, health safety and security, and research and innovation;

  • Regularly convene the Joint Working Group on Health Cooperation;

  • Deepen cooperation in the area of nursing skills development through the exchange of information and knowledge in nursing skills training, and enhancing the employability in Singapore,  which is currently taking place under the MoU between Singapore and Assam on Nursing Talent Skills Cooperation;

  • Deepen ongoing collaboration in Collaborative Industrial Research & Development and support new joint research projects in the area of Digital Health/Medical Technologies;

People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges: Supporting People-to-People and Cultural Linkages

  • Further strengthen the long-standing social, cultural and people-to-people linkages between India and Singapore including through exploring cooperation across areas of mutual interest in maritime heritage;

  • Promote and expand student exchanges, including students of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), through various initiatives including immersion programmes under the Singapore-India Partnership Foundation (SIPF) and internships, including attachments of Singaporean interns to India-based companies under the Confederation of Indian Industry-Enterprise Singapore India Ready Talent (IRT) Programme;

  • Encourage deeper parliamentary engagement through exchange programmes;

  • Facilitate public service exchanges and training at the senior officials’ level including via study visits;

  • Continue regular dialogue on consular matters between the respective concerned authorities, including ad-hoc consultations to address issues promptly;

  • Encourage a sustained level of engagement and interaction between think tanks, academia, educational and research institutions in both countries;

  • To continue to promote cultural exchanges including of artists, art groups and exhibitions;

Defence and Security Cooperation: Strategic Cooperation to Promote Regional Peace and Stability

  • Encourage continued exchanges and engagement on defence and security cooperation at all levels, including regular meetings between the two Defence Ministers through the Defence Ministers’ Dialogue and between senior Defence ministry officials through the Defence Policy Dialogue;

  • Continue  military cooperation and exchanges through the joint conduct of army, naval, and air force exercises in various formats;

  • Deepen defence technology cooperation in emerging areas such as Quantum Computing, AI, Automation and Unmanned Vessels;

  • Continue the  cooperation in maritime security and submarine rescue, as well as working closely within regional security architectures in line with the principles and areas of cooperation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative;

  • Strengthen cooperation in Maritime Domain Awareness between respective Information Fusion Centres, including through International Liaison Officers;

  • Singapore acknowledges with appreciation India’s interest in the Malacca Straits Patrol;

  • Reaffirming strong commitment to combat terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, and reiterating zero-tolerance to terrorism, both countries will strengthen cooperation to fight against global and regional terrorism and terror organizations, including those proscribed by the UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee and against terror financing, through bilateral mechanisms, FATF and other multilateral platforms;

  • Strengthen cooperation under the bilateral Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, which facilitates cooperation between the two countries in criminal investigations and proceedings;

  • Regularly review the progress in bilateral relations through the  Foreign Office Consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore and the Ministry of External Affairs of India;

5. The two Prime Ministers agreed to institutionalise the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable as a foremost mechanism to annually monitor the progress in the implementation of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Annex B – List of Memoranda of Understanding Witnessed by Prime Minister Wong and Prime Minister Modi

1. Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Government of India and the Government of Singapore Concerning Cooperation on a Green and Digital Shipping Corridor;

2. MOU between Economic Development Board, Office for Space Technology & Industry of the Republic of Singapore and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre on Space Cooperation of the Republic of India on Promoting Collaboration in the Space Sector;

3. MOU between the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Republic of Singapore and the India Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship for Establishment of a National Centre of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing in National Skill Training Institute, Chennai.

4. MOU between the Monetary Authority of Singapore and Reserve Bank of India on Digital Asset Innovation; and

5. MOU between the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and the Airports Authority of India for Cooperation in Training, Research and Development in the field of Civil Aviation

Annex C – Writeup on PSA Mumbai

NEWS RELEASE

4 September 2025, Singapore

PSA INAUGURATES PHASE 2 OF PSA MUMBAI -
INDIA’S LARGEST CONTAINER TERMINAL

With the inauguration of its Phase 2 expansion, PSA Mumbai is poised to become India’s largest container terminal, doubling its annual handling capacity to 4.8 million TEUs. Designed to accommodate multiple mega container vessels alongside with 2,000 metres of continuous quay length, PSA Mumbai is built to support India’s growing trade volumes for domestic and global markets. This development is the result of SGD 1.7 billion (USD 1.3 billion) committed by PSA under a public-private partnership model, the largest foreign direct investment from Singapore in India to date.

Since its first investment in India in 1998, PSA has steadily expanded its presence across the country, emerging as a leading force in supporting India’s maritime growth. Today, PSA India operates container terminals in Navi Mumbai and Chennai, container freight stations in Mumbai and Mundra through its subsidiary PSA Ameya, and collaborates with its affiliate supply chain business PSA BDP to serve a wide range of multinational customers across diverse industry verticals.

The inauguration, held on 4 September 2025, commenced with speeches delivered virtually from New Delhi by the Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi and the Prime Minister of Singapore Mr Lawrence Wong, during Prime Minister Wong’s Official Visit to New Delhi, India. After the speeches, a commemorative foundation stone was virtually unveiled to mark the official opening of the new berths at PSA Mumbai for container handling operations.

Mr Ong Kim Pong, Group CEO, PSA International, said “PSA Mumbai’s Phase 2 expansion brings together capacity, connectivity and sustainability in a terminal for India — a catalyst for advancing India’s trade ambitions. PSA Mumbai’s enhanced capacity of 4.8 million TEUs will reinforce the resilience of supply chains within and beyond India, and bolster PSA’s global network of port ecosystems. This milestone underscores the transformative power of purposeful collaboration between the public and private sectors to enhance global trade flows and uplift communities. Our partnership with the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) for PSA Mumbai exemplifies this commitment. Driven by this shared purpose, PSA is proud to partner India on its journey of transformational growth and progress.” 

At the inauguration ceremony, a video showcased PSA Mumbai’s active rail connectivity, featuring six Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC)-compatible tracks that link the terminal from Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNP) in Maharashtra to over 63 Inland Container Depots (ICDs) across India. When the Western DFC is fully connected to JNP, PSA Mumbai’s DFC-ready infrastructure will enable importers and exporters to experience a boost in multimodal logistics efficiency. This aligns with India’s vision for integrated and sustainable logistics, as outlined in the country’s National Master Plan, PM Gati Shakti.

Constructed on 200 hectares of land, the terminal brings together enhanced yard capacity and multimodal infrastructure to efficiently support India’s maritime connectivity. With electrical equipment already powered by renewable energy and progressive electrification of diesel assets, PSA Mumbai is designed to uplift trade sustainably.

Beyond infrastructure, PSA Mumbai has created over 1,500 jobs across technical, supervisory, and administrative roles, including crane operators, logistics coordinators, and systems analysts, providing valuable higher-skilled employment opportunities in India’s port sector.

ENDS                                                                       ISSUED BY PSA INTERNATIONAL PTE LTD


ABOUT PSA INTERNATIONAL (PSA)
PSA International is a leading global port operator and trusted partner to cargo stakeholders. Currently, PSA’s portfolio comprises over 70 deepsea, rail, and inland terminals across more than 180 locations in 45 countries – including two flagship port operations in Singapore and Belgium. Drawing on the deep expertise and experience of a diverse global team, PSA collaborates with its customers and partners to develop world-class port ecosystems and deliver innovative supply chain solutions to accelerate the shift towards sustainable trade. 

Visit our websites and social media to learn more:


*Note to Editors: PSA ceased using the name of "Port of Singapore Authority" in 1997 when it became a corporatised entity. The company should be referred to as "PSA International", “PSA India” or "PSA".

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