SINGAPORE — Singapore and India agreed to expand cooperation across telecommunications, broadcasting, food safety and workforce training after the fourth India‑Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) at Shangri‑La Hotel on Aug. 20.
The exchange included two memorandums of understanding and a letter of intent covering closer regulatory coordination between Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority and India’s Telecom Regulatory Authority on spectrum management, consumer protection and joint engagement at international bodies. The agreements aim to streamline cross‑border telecoms and broadcasting operations and strengthen oversight as both countries ramp up digital infrastructure.
Officials also formalised deeper technical collaboration on food safety between the Singapore Food Agency and India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority, with planned exchanges on labelling, product recalls, emergency notifications and import procedures to support safe, resilient agri‑food trade. Discussions highlighted ongoing talks about a potential supply‑chain resilience arrangement for food, modeled on arrangements Singapore has with Australia and New Zealand.
Ministers underscored skills development as a priority, identifying training for India’s workforce in advanced manufacturing and aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul as immediate focus areas. Singapore noted opportunities for its small and medium enterprises as semiconductor manufacturers invest in India following a 2024 semiconductor partnership. Plans include establishing training centres near investment hubs and developing a centre of excellence for advanced manufacturing in Chennai led by ITE Education Services.
The meeting, a continuation of a high‑level dialogue launched in 2022, brought together senior ministers from both governments. Singapore’s delegation included Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, Senior Minister K. Shanmugam, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and ministers Josephine Teo and Jeffrey Siow. India was represented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State Jitin Prasada.
Deputy Prime Minister Gan described the roundtable as “very productive,” noting that the talks covered the ISMR’s six pillars, advanced manufacturing, connectivity, digitalisation, healthcare and medicine, skills development and sustainability and that improved ministerial access has helped resolve issues quickly and build trust. The Indian ministers were hosted to lunch by Gan and met Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who said leaders would build on progress under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership elevated in September 2024.