Singapore PM Lawrence Wong meets Sitharaman-led ministerial delegation, discusses ways to deepen bilateral ties

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday (August 20, 2026) met visiting Indian Ministers ahead of the fourth India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) and discussed ways to build on the progress made in bilateral ties, particularly in advanced manufacturing, digitalisation, sustainability and connectivity.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, and Minister of State for Electronics & IT Jitin Prasada are in the city-state to participate in the ministerial-level meeting.

In a series of social media posts, Mr. Wong said it was a pleasure to catch up with Ms. Sitharaman, Mr. Jaishankar, Mr. Goyal and Mr. Prasada ahead of the ISMR, which began on Thursday (August 20, 2026).

The leaders discussed how Singapore and India can “build on the good progress made through ISMR” and take the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership further, especially in advanced manufacturing, digitalisation, sustainability and connectivity.

Mr. Wong said the discussions also covered regional and global developments. “Singapore and India share a longstanding and increasingly close partnership. I wish the ministers a productive visit and fruitful discussions at the ISMR,” he said.

According to a Singapore government statement, the ISMR is an important ministerial-level platform for the two countries to drive cooperation in new and emerging areas.

The fourth ISMR will review the progress from the third ISMR, held in New Delhi in August 2025, and identify new opportunities to advance the implementation of the Singapore India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Roadmap, the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Industry said in a joint statement.

Ms. Sitharaman is leading the Indian delegation, while Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry (Trade) Gan Kim Yong is heading the Singapore delegation at the fourth roundtable.

The Singapore delegation includes Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Digital Development and Information Minister Josephine Teo, and Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Finance Jeffrey Siow.

Established in 2022, ISMR is a key platform for discussions on expanding bilateral economic and strategic cooperation.

The inaugural meeting of ISMR was held in New Delhi in September 2022, followed by the second meeting in Singapore in August 2024. The third ISMR meeting was held in New Delhi in August last year.

Singapore remains a key economic partner and a major source of investment for India.

In 2025-26, Singapore was the largest source of FDI into India ($19.8 billion). Cumulative FDI inflows from Singapore stood at $194.68 billion during April 2000-March 2026, accounting for 24.72% of India’s total FDI inflows.

Singapore is also India’s largest trading partner within ASEAN and remains a significant source of External Commercial Borrowings and Foreign Portfolio Investment. Bilateral trade has expanded substantially following the conclusion of the India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), increasing from $6.7 billion in FY 2004-05 to $36.1 billion in FY 2025-26.