Advanced manufacturing and semiconductors were placed at the heart of an updated cooperation between India and Singapore yesterday (26 August), as politicians and business leaders sought to maintain the momentum of an arrangement made in 2022.

Politicians from each nation met in Singapore for the second India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR), affirming their existing work exploring a broad range of digitalisation areas and agreeing future fields of focus.

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated areas including trade and investment, digitalisation, sustainability and skills development were also on the table as politicians look to build on a “close and longstanding relationship” between the nations.

A meeting of business leaders held in parallel concerned itself with ways the private sector can contribute to meeting environmental targets and boosting cross-border investment.

Areas in the spotlight include industrial parks, skilling, infrastructure and digitalisation.

The Hindu reported the ISMR sets the stage for a visit to Singapore by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the year. The newspaper highlighted discussions around semiconductors, suggesting a good match between Indian ambitions and Singaporean capabilities in the field.

Singaporean minister for foreign affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan told reporters India recognised his nation’s “disproportionate share of global semiconductor manufacturing capability” and was “carefully studying our system in terms of its ecosystem”.

The minister added India’s interest is not solely around wafer fabrication, “but the whole ecosystem of suppliers” which have created a “dynamic and viable” digital sector in Singapore.

Politicians also explored the aviation industry and related opportunities spanning maintenance, repair and overhaul as Indian companies prepare to take delivery of 1,000 aircraft over the next two years.