Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent tour of Southeast Asia underscores India’s commitment to strengthening its relationships with key regional partners. His visits to Brunei and Singapore, marking the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Brunei Darussalam, aim to reinforce historical ties and advance strategic partnerships.
In Brunei, a significant milestone in the 40-year diplomatic relationship between the two nations, PM Modi’s visit signals a deepening of cooperation across existing sectors, including defense, trade and investment, energy, space technology, health, capacity building, culture, and people-to-people exchanges. The visit also presents opportunities to explore new areas of collaboration, particularly in the maritime sector, a key area for enhancing India-Brunei cooperation as part of India’s Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) policy.
Brunei’s potential to enhance its deep-water Muara port offers significant geostrategic and geoeconomic benefits for India, aligning with the ‘port-led development’ concept central to India’s Indian Ocean policy. This strategy, a key pillar of India’s ‘Act East’ approach, aims to advance the blue economy and maritime security by enhancing domestic maritime infrastructure and aggressively developing ports, mirroring the successful strategy implemented with Indonesia’s Sabang port.
The visit to Singapore, PM Modi’s fifth since 2015, marks a new chapter in India-Singapore relations. Singapore, India’s largest trade partner in ASEAN and a major source of foreign direct investment, plays a crucial role in India’s economic strategy. The visit aims to further solidify the close relationship between the two countries, particularly in new and emerging areas of advanced manufacturing, digitalization, and sustainable development.
India and Singapore have already collaborated extensively in various fields, including fintech, with the successful linkage of India’s UPI and Singapore’s PayNow in February 2023. Defence cooperation remains strong, as evidenced by recent activities like the Defence Policy Dialogue in New Delhi, the Indian Air Force Sarang Helicopter Display Team’s participation in the Singapore Air Show, and the 30th SIMBEX naval exercise held in Singapore. Skill center projects supported by Singapore have been completed in several Indian states, and scientific collaboration continues to thrive.
PM Modi’s visits to Brunei and Singapore are anticipated to significantly bolster the strategic, economic, and cultural connections between India and these important Southeast Asian partners. These engagements are crucial for advancing India’s ‘Act East’ Policy and Indo-Pacific Vision, ensuring a secure and prosperous future for the region.
