Singapore and India exchanged four new Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) for cooperation in the fields of semiconductors, digital technologies, education, and health and medicine on Sep. 5, 2024.

According to a press release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the exchange was held in the presence of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister (PM) Lawrence Wong as part of Modi's official meetings during his visit to Singapore.

Overall, PM Wong and Modi acknowledged India and Singapore's shared history and expressed satisfaction over the bilateral relationship between the countries.

Both leaders agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a higher level of a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership", to deepen and broaden bilateral cooperation.

Modi also separately met with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and other Singapore political leaders, such as Senior Minister (SM) Lee Hsien Loong and Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM) Goh Chok Tong.

Four new Memoranda of Understanding

According to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) press release on Sep. 5, the four new MOUs reflect the "comprehensive" and "future-oriented" nature of Singapore's cooperation with India.

It also aims to add depth and breadth to the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

Semiconductors

According to a separate press release by the Ministry of Trade (MTI), the India-Singapore Semiconductor Ecosystem Partnership MOU aims to support India's growing semiconductor industry while facilitating Singapore's semiconductor companies and related supply chains in the Indian market.

It had been signed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, Gan Kim Yong and India Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw on Aug. 26 at the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable.

Gan said:

"This MOU signals India’s and Singapore’s commitment to work together in the field of semiconductors to address the demand from industries around the world.

This will also strengthen semiconductor supply chain resilience and create new markets and opportunities for businesses in our countries."

Under the MOU, MTI said that both countries will leverage complementary strengths in their semiconductor ecosystems and tap on opportunities to build resilience in their semiconductor supply chains.

This will include government-led policy exchanges on ecosystem development, supply chain resilience, and workforce development.

MTI and India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) will hold discussions in a Policy Dialogue, oversee the implementation of the collaboration areas, and exchange best practices.

During his visit, Modi was also hosted by Singapore semiconductor ecosystem company AEM to a site visit which consisted of a sharing led by the Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association (SSIA), and a tour of AEM's facilities.

Other areas of collaboration

In addition to the MOU on semiconductors, other agreements were signed on cooperation in digital technologies, further collaboration in skills certification, and healthcare, medical education and research.

The two leaders also discussed sustainability, the defence relationship between both countries, trade relationships, regional security and international forums like the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and Asean.

Met and had discussions with President Tharman, SM Lee and ESM Goh

Modi also had a separate meeting with President Tharman, where they discussed the bilateral ties between Singapore and India

In a Facebook post on Sep. 5, Modi said he had a "very good meeting" President Tharman over discussions on key focus sectors like skill development, sustainability, technology, innovation and connectivity.

He also met ESM Goh with whom he had "extensive" discussions on ways to add momentum to the India-Singapore friendship, and expressed his appreciation for ESM Goh's experience and expertise.Modi also met with SM Lee to discuss how Singapore and India can work together in futuristic areas such as green energy, FinTech and more.

"It is always gladdening to meet my friend and former PM of Singapore," he wrote in a separate Facebook post.

He commended SM Lee's insights on various topics, calling them "enriching".

Modi is set to conclude his visit and depart from Singapore on the night of Sep. 5.

Top photos via Lawrence Wong/Facebook