Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, on his first official visit to India since taking office, has expressed strong confidence in India’s economic and strategic future.
Speaking to Hindustan Times ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, September 4, Wong said that a “strong and rising India contributes to stability and resilience in Asia and opens up new opportunities for its partners around the region”.
India and Singapore are preparing to launch a new roadmap for their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This is expected to give fresh direction to the growing relationship between the two countries. Wong said, “We will have an ambitious roadmap setting up all the different areas of cooperation and how we want to pursue them further, the different pillars.”
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Prime Minister Wong praised the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR), a unique mechanism that allows both sides to look at the bilateral relationship from a strategic perspective. He shared that ISMR has made steady progress since its launch in 2022. “That’s when the idea of ISMR came about and I decided to lead the first ISMR. I brought a delegation of ministers to New Delhi to meet their counterparts, and that was unique because then we didn’t just discuss cooperation on a ministry-by-ministry basis,” he said.
Had a productive start to my visit in New Delhi. Last evening, I joined overseas Singaporeans and friends of Singapore for a special SG60 reception. Many had travelled from different parts of India — Chennai, Mumbai, and beyond — to be part of this occasion. pic.twitter.com/5EADDWR3nC
— Lawrence Wong (@LawrenceWongST) September 4, 2025
Singapore is a major investor in India, contributing nearly 24 percent of India’s total foreign direct investment. Wong acknowledged the risks that come with investments but affirmed confidence in India’s long-term potential. “There will always be short-term volatility with investments but we try to take a long-term perspective. From that point of view, we are optimistic about India’s growth prospects,” he told HT.
Singapore is working closely with India to support its efforts to become a global semiconductor hub. Wong said they are focusing on three areas: a green lane for the smooth supply of semiconductor goods, skill development, and collaboration in research and innovation. “We are supporting India’s development of skills in this area, including discussing the potential of doing a joint skills training centre in Gujarat for semiconductors,” he said.
Digital and technological cooperation is another key area. Singapore and India were among the first countries to link their digital payment systems — UPI and PayNow. Wong said, “We started with the UPI-PayNow linkage and it’s expanded to more financial institutions and banks.” He also mentioned a proposal to start a cross-border data corridor between Gift City in Gujarat and Singapore through a regulatory sandbox.
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The two countries are also exploring collaboration in artificial intelligence, space, and capital markets. “With AI, you need the data infrastructure, then the data link becomes important. On top of that, you have your models, you have your applications… And trust, you’ve got to think about safety, responsible use of AI.”
In the area of green energy, Wong explained Singapore’s challenges due to its limited land and resources. He said, “We are also exploring the possibility of other options, including civilian nuclear power,” and added that they are trying to understand technologies like small modular reactors and nuclear fusion. He said there is interest in working with India in this space.
Food security is another key issue for Singapore, which imports most of its food. Wong said India is already a major supplier of rice and spices, and Singapore would like to deepen cooperation. “We will continue to welcome more food imports from India as a way to diversify our food sources and enhance our food security,” PM Wong said.
Singapore’s confidence in India is built on consistent actions and a strong track record. We have been India’s largest foreign investor for the past seven years, and India’s top trading partner in ASEAN. pic.twitter.com/fTrhIJwIM2
— Lawrence Wong (@LawrenceWongST) September 3, 2025
He also spoke about the ASEAN-India relationship and India’s proposal to review the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement. Wong said, “We understand India’s concerns. We hope there will be flexibility on the part of the officials that are in the midst of discussions so that they can reach a mutually acceptable outcome for all parties.”
On the wider geopolitical situation, Wong said Singapore is watching tensions between major powers like the US, China, and India with “great concern”. He stressed the importance of dialogue and cooperation in such uncertain times. “The one thing we can do proactively is to work with like-minded countries to foster closer links, to operate on the basis of a rules-based trading framework to bring our economies closer together and to find win-win outcomes.”
Reflecting on the importance of the India-Singapore partnership, Wong said, “In this very uncertain world, there is all the more reason for us to double down on this very critical India-Singapore relationship.”
