Top Indian ministers to hold talks in Singapore

On Thursday, top Indian ministers will convene in Singapore to explore opportunities for deeper cooperation across various sectors, including trade, investment, advanced manufacturing and digitisation, during the fourth India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR). External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Electronics and Information Technology Minister Jitin Prasada will join the delegation, traveling to Singapore for the high-level talks, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

During their visit, the ministers will engage with their Singaporean counterparts and pay visits to key officials, as outlined by the MEA. The ISMR serves as a vital platform for advancing cooperation in emerging areas, with its first meeting held in New Delhi in September 2022, followed by a second round in Singapore in August 2024. The third ISMR took place in New Delhi in August last year.

The outcomes of these meetings contribute to the roadmap for the India-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), unveiled during Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's visit to India in September 2023. The fourth round of ISMR will enable both nations to assess progress on ongoing initiatives and identify new avenues to strengthen bilateral collaboration, as per the MEA.

Boosting trade and investment between the two countries is expected to be a focal point of the upcoming ISMR, with Singapore being India's largest trading partner in ASEAN and the primary source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the region. In 2024-25, India's imports from Singapore amounted to USD 21.2 billion, while exports to India reached USD 14.4 billion. Over the past decade, Singapore's annual investments in India have consistently ranged between USD 10 billion and USD 15 billion.