Bilateral talks focus on trade facilitation, investment promotion, and new areas of cooperation

India–Singapore partnership marks 60 years of diplomatic relations and 20 years of CECA

The 4th Meeting of the India–Singapore Joint Working Group on Trade & Investment (JWGTI) was hosted by India at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi, on 14th August 2025. The meeting was co-chaired by Special Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Shri Rajesh Agrawal and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore, Dr. Beh Swan Gin. The meeting followed the 3rd India–Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) held a day earlier.

Discussions during the JWGTI focused on deepening bilateral trade and investment ties, identifying priority sectors for greater alignment, improving logistics and supply chains, streamlining regulatory frameworks, and exploring ways to facilitate cross-border trade.

Shri Rajesh Agrawal noted that the India–Singapore relationship has evolved well beyond traditional trade. While the two countries already enjoy robust engagement in trade and investment, there remain ample opportunities for further cooperation.

The year 2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Singapore, as well as the 20th anniversary of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA). The CECA, signed in 2005, was the first comprehensive trade agreement India entered into with any partner and Singapore’s first such pact with a South Asian country.

Singapore is India’s largest trading partner within ASEAN, with total bilateral trade of USD 34.26 billion during 2024–25. It is also India’s second-largest source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), with equity inflows of USD 163.85 billion (INR 11,24,509.65 crore) between April 2000 and July 2024, accounting for about 24% of India’s cumulative inflows.

The meeting reviewed ongoing collaboration in areas such as the semiconductor sector and digitalisation of trade, and explored potential partnerships in skills development, capacity building, and other emerging sectors for mutual benefit. Both sides agreed on the importance of more frequent engagements to translate these opportunities into concrete outcomes.

Trade and Investment Cooperation to deepen bilateral ties, streamline cross border facilitation and advance sectoral collaboration. The Joint Working Group concentrated on deepening trade and investment ties by prioritising trade facilitation, investment promotion, regulatory alignment, logistics and supply chain improvements, and digitalisation of trade. It identified semiconductors, skills development, capacity building and other emerging sectors for collaboration and emphasised the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement as the guiding framework, agreeing to more frequent engagement and mechanisms to convert policy dialogue into concrete cooperative initiatives.