Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to visit India from January 15

Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam will be on India visit from 15th January onwards, which coincides with 60 years of India-Singapore ties. During the visit, he will have high level engagements in Delhi, including meeting with President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the around 3 day India visit, the Singapore President will also travel to India’s Odisha state.

Ahead of the visit, the Singapore High Commissioner to India Simon Wong had in December met Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. Singapore will be the first country partner at the Utkarsh Odisha- Make in Odisha Conclave 2025 in which focus will be on cooperation in sectors like petrochemicals, green energy, urban planning, and skill development.

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Shanmugaratnam who took charge as Singapore President is no stranger to New Delhi as he has been to India previously in various capacities, including as a senior minister, deputy Prime Minister of the prosperous ASEAN nation.

India, Singapore already have strong ties and have seen high level engagements including a visit by PM Modi to the country last year when India was marking 10 years of its act east policy. Last year, during PM Modi’s visit, the relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, aimed at deepening cooperation in areas like advanced manufacturing, digitalisation, healthcare, and sustainability.

Singapore is one of India’s leading trade partners within ASEAN, with bilateral trade significantly increasing over the years. In FY 2023-24, trade between the two countries reached USD 35.61 billion, with Singapore becoming India’s sixth largest trading partner.

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Approximately 7.5% of Singapore’s population is of Indian origin, contributing significantly to the cultural, economic, and social fabric of the country. There are numerous cultural exchanges, including the establishment of the first Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre in Singapore to celebrate the shared Tamil heritage.

The Singapore President is the first head of the state from an ASEAN country visiting India this month. His visit will be closely followed by the visit of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto who will be the chief guest at India’s Republic day. Last year leaders of Vietnam and Malaysia had visited India even as the Indian President travelled to Fiji, Timor Leste and PM Modi visited Laos, Brunei, Singapore