Current Affairs

India-Singapore: Strategic Partnership Roadmap for Indo-Pacific

Author: VisionIAS Editorial Team

Sep 6, 2025Current Affairs9 min read

India-Singapore: Strategic Partnership Roadmap for Indo-Pacific

The India-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) has emerged as a cornerstone of Indo-Pacific stability, marking a pivotal evolution from historical ties to a forward-looking strategic alliance.

Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s September 2025 visit to India culminated in the adoption of a comprehensive roadmap for the India-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), establishing cooperation across eight domains including semiconductors, defence technology, and maritime security.

The President of India emphasized that Singapore serves as a key partner in India’s Act East Policy and Vision for Indo-Pacific. This strategic positioning reinforces Singapore’s role as a gateway for India’s enhanced engagement with Southeast Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region. The roadmap, coinciding with 60 years of diplomatic relations, transforms the partnership from a trade-focused engagement to a technology and security collaboration addressing challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.

Table of Contents

Eight-Pillar Cooperation Framework

Economic Cooperation: Strengthening Economic Ties and Collaboration in New Areas

The partnership continues to deepen bilateral trade and market access through the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), with both countries continuing engagement on the Third Review of CECA. They also aim to achieve substantial review progress on the ASEAN India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) in 2025.

Singapore produces 10% of global semiconductors and manufactures 20% of semiconductor equipment globally, making it a strategic partner for India’s domestic chip manufacturing goals. The semiconductor cooperation will further be strengthened through the India-Singapore Semiconductor Policy Dialogue, facilitating partnerships with Singapore companies and advancing resilient supply chains.

The collaboration promotes workforce development and encourages business-to-business cooperation through information sharing, investment partnerships, and technology transfer between Indian and Singapore firms.

Industrial park development advanced through joint ventures in sustainable and next-generation facilities with advanced manufacturing capabilities. The partnership facilitates ventures through government-to-government cooperation, knowledge sharing, capacity training, and green standards implementation.

Capital market connectivity through initiatives like NSE-IFSC-SGX GIFT Connect and business partnerships strengthen economic ties between India and Singapore.

Skills Development: Partnering in Skills Development and Capacity Building

India-Singapore to jointly develop the National Centre of Excellence focusing on Advanced Manufacturing at Chennai is a major step towards skilling. It will boost industry connection while collaborating on standards in curriculum development, train-the-trainers programs, and skills certification frameworks. Private sector collaboration to develop skill centres in Advanced Manufacturing, Aviation, and MRO sectors.

Cooperation in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) promotes capability development and strengthens collaboration between Higher Education institutes. The partnership facilitates exchange of information, best practices, student and staff mobility, internships, and faculty attachments. A Joint Working Group will be established to monitor education and skills development progress.

State-level cooperation builds on existing India-Singapore collaboration such as the Singapore-Assam Nursing Talent Skills Cooperation model, to be expanded across additional Indian states.

Digitalisation: Deepening Cooperation in Digital and Financial Technologies

Digital Finance cooperation is strengthened between India and Singapore through the Fintech Joint Working Group and enhanced cybersecurity frameworks. The start-up ecosystem collaboration deepens partnerships between India and Singapore. This facilitated cybersecurity cooperation through stakeholder engagement, CERT-CERT information exchange, and capacity building initiatives, addressing emerging threats.

Additionally, UPI-PayNow linkage has been maximized to secure cross-border payment potential for merchant and personal transactions. TradeTrust adoption has been strengthened between India and Singapore for interoperable e-Bills of Lading, facilitating more reliable trade documentation.

Sustainability: Exploring Collaboration in Sustainable Development and Green Trade

The partnership between India and Singapore will be enhanced with green energy cooperation, particularly in the domain of hydrogen and ammonia production and trade. The two countries are to examine Civil nuclear cooperation and potential areas for joint development and technology sharing.

Bilateral climate cooperation is to be advanced under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement. Multilateral collaboration will be deepened through the International Solar Alliance and Global Biofuels Alliance, leveraging Singapore’s membership for regional clean energy initiatives.

Food security cooperation is to be strengthened by promoting exports of food products between countries and to third markets, exploring country-level accreditation systems for select export categories.

Connectivity: Expanding Maritime and Aviation Links

Priority to be given to establishing the Green and Digital Shipping Corridor, as a connection between Singapore’s port and major Indian ports, deepens maritime connectivity while working towards green fuel corridor development. Digital port management is demonstrated through initiatives like Nhava Sheva’s container terminal virtual inauguration.

The partnership also strengthens aviation cooperation through ecosystem collaboration between Indian and Singaporean companies focusing on sharing expertise and providing upskilling opportunities. Furthermore, civil aviation authorities are to discuss expanding bilateral Air Services Agreements to enhance connectivity.

Healthcare and Medicine: Strengthening Healthcare Cooperation

Deepening of health collaboration under the MoU on Health and Medicine, focusing on human resource development, digital health interventions, disease surveillance, and maternal health. The partnership emphasized on medical product access and regulatory facilitation for collaborative research.

The Joint Working Group is to be convened regularly to coordinate health cooperation initiatives. Likewise, nursing cooperation has been deepened through the Singapore-Assam model, enhancing employability in Singapore through information exchange and skills training partnerships.

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

Strengthening the cultural linkages and long-standing social connections with exploring cooperation in maritime heritage and cultural preservation initiatives. People-to-people ties are to be strengthened through student exchanges, Industrial Training Institute immersion initiatives, academic engagement between think tanks and research organizations and art-related exchanges.

Parliamentary engagement is to be deepened through exchange programs while public service exchanges to facilitate training at senior official levels. Consular dialogue is to continue through regular consultations addressing bilateral issues promptly.

Defence and Security Cooperation: Strategic Cooperation for Regional Stability

Continued defence engagement is to be encouraged at all levels through regular Defence Ministers’ Dialogues while military cooperation advances through joint army, naval, and air force exercises in various operational formats such as SIMBEX 2025.

Defence technology cooperation will be deepened in emerging areas including Quantum Computing, AI, Automation, and Unmanned Vessels. Maritime security cooperation in submarine rescue capabilities is to be continued while working closely within regional security architectures aligned with ASEAN Indo-Pacific principles.

Counter-terrorism cooperation between both countries reaffirms their commitment to combat terrorism in all forms. The partnership enhances cooperation against global terrorism through bilateral mechanisms, FATF engagement, and multilateral platforms.

Strategic Context and Regional Security

Singapore’s acknowledgment of India’s interest in the Malacca Straits Patrol (MSP) represents a positive step in regional security dynamics. The MSP currently involves Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand in coordinated maritime security operations.

India’s Andaman and Nicobar Command provides strategic oversight of shipping lanes adjacent to the Malacca Straits. The Command’s maritime domain awareness capabilities will potentially complement MSP operations and enhance regional security coordination.

The India-Singapore CSP framework enables expanded maritime security cooperation through joint exercises, information sharing, and coordinated patrol activities. This contributes to security along the strait while respecting existing arrangements.

Conclusion

The Singapore-India CSP roadmap transforms bilateral relations from trade-focused engagement to comprehensive partnership addressing technology, security, and sustainability challenges. The eight-pillar framework provides structure for sustained cooperation across critical domains.

The partnership demonstrates how middle powers can navigate global uncertainties through strategic collaboration. Both countries enhance their capabilities while contributing to regional resilience and Indo-Pacific stability through practical cooperation and shared responsibility.