SYLLABUS
GS-2: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
Context: Singapore’s Prime Minister paid official visit to India at the invitation from 2 to 4 September 2025, marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Key highlights of the Visit
• The visit built on the agreement to elevate bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP).
• Roadmap for CSP includes eight priority areas and 5 MoUs were signed in the areas of green shipping, space, skills development, digital assets, and civil aviation.
• PSA Mumbai Bharat Mumbai Container Terminal was virtually inaugurated, making it India’s largest container terminal with a capacity of 4.8 million TEUs.
• Both leaders reviewed and reaffirmed the long-standing bilateral partnership across political, economic, security, technology, education, people-to-people, and cultural domains.
Roadmap for Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
• Economic Cooperation: Both countries agreed to initiate the Third Review of Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement and achieve a substantive review of ASEAN India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) in 2025.
- It also supports the growth of India’s semiconductor industry and ecosystem through cooperation under the India–Singapore Semiconductor Policy Dialogue.
• Skills Development: Establish a National Centre of Excellence in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on Advanced Manufacturing.
• Digitalisation: Deepening Cooperation in digital, financial technologies, training, Artificial Intelligence, cyber security and capital market linkages, through the Fintech Joint Working Group.
• Sustainability: Step up cooperation in green hydrogen, ammonia production, civil nuclear domain, food security and climate action.
• Connectivity: Establishment of an India-Singapore Green and Digital Shipping Corridor (GDSC) between the Port of Singapore and India and expansion of the bilateral Air Services Agreement to enhance air connectivity.
• Healthcare and Medicine: MoU on Cooperation in nursing skills, digital health intervention and disease surveillance, maternal and child health and nutrition, health policy.
• People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges: Expansion of cultural, educational, and social linkages including student exchange programmes, internships and mutual interest in maritime heritage.
• Defence and Security Cooperation: Strategic cooperation to promote regional peace and stability through enhanced defense technology collaboration, strengthened maritime domain awareness, submarine rescue operations, and counter-terrorism efforts.
India – Singapore Relations
| Theme | Key Details |
| Diplomatic Relations | • Singapore has played a pivotal role in advancing India’s Look East Policy since the early 1990s.• Major agreements of the relations include the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (2005), Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (1994), Defence Cooperation Agreement (2003), Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (2005), and the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (1968).• Relations were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in September 2024, and further reviewed across six pillars at the Third India–Singapore Ministerial Roundtable in August 2025. |
| Economic Relations | • Singapore became India’s largest trade and investment partner in ASEAN, accounting for 27.83% of India–ASEAN trade in 2024–25, with bilateral trade reaching USD 34.3 billion, making it India’s sixth-largest trading partner. • Singapore emerged as the largest source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into India, contributing USD 14.94 billion in 2024–25, with cumulative inflows reaching USD 174.88 billion during the period April 2000 to March 2025.• Invest India opened an office in Singapore to facilitate investments (September 2024). |
| Defence & Security | • Cooperation guided by the Enhanced Agreement on Defence Cooperation (2015).• Major exercises conducted: SIMBEX (Navy, 2025), Bold Kurukshetra (Army, August 2025), Agni Warrior (Army, concluded December 2024), Joint Military Training (Air Force, late 2024).• Sixth Defence Ministers’ Dialogue advanced interoperability and maritime security between both nations (October 2024). |
| Science, Technology & Innovation | • The Cyber Policy Dialogue was established in 2024, to address emerging technologies and security challenges, while cooperation was also include digital health, medical technologies, and the green economy• The Indian Space Research Organisation has supported Singapore’s space programme through multiple satellite launches, the most recent being in 2023. |
| Multilateral Cooperation | • Singapore supported India’s G20 initiative on Digital Public Infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and data for governance in 2024.• Singapore became a member of the International Solar Alliance and the Global Biofuel Alliance in 2023.• Singapore continues to support India’s bid for permanent membership in a reformed United Nations Security Council. |
| Cultural cooperation | • Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre was announced in Singapore in 2024 to enhance exchanges, where Tamil is an official language and Indian diaspora forms about 9% of the resident population |
UPSC Mains Practice Question
“Examine the significance of the India–Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in strengthening bilateral cooperation across economic, defence, and technological domains. Discuss how this partnership aligns with India’s regional and global strategic objectives.”