SINGAPORE - In the early 1990s, under the leadership of then Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao, India started to liberalise and restructure its economy, unshackling its growth.
Singapore was an early believer in India's immense potential, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday (Dec 7), noting that his predecessor, Mr Goh Chok Tong had sparked an "India fever" back then.
Emeritus Senior Minister Goh had urged Singapore then to trade more with and invest in India.
Economic ties have deepened steadily since, with Singapore's investments in India increasing fivefold between 1995 and 2000, said PM Lee, who made his first visit to the sub-continent in 1992 when he was deputy prime minister.
He made the point at the launch of a book on Singapore-India relations, titled India On Our Minds, at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in Kent Ridge.
The Prime Minister noted that the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (Ceca) was subsequently signed, and a Strategic Partnership established in 2015, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Singapore.
The partnership reflects the deep cooperation in defence, finance, culture and other areas, he added.
Today, India is a major player on the world stage, said PM Lee, wielding significant influence at international fora.
"Debates on the major strategic issues of the day - climate change, WTO (World Trade Organisation) reform, security in the Indo-Pacific - are not complete without India at the table and playing a constructive role."
Like many countries, India is suffering the onslaught of Covid-19 and the resulting economic turbulence, but its long-term future remains bright and promising, said PM Lee.
He noted that India's PM Narendra Modi's "Act East" policy expresses his intention to unlock India's full potential through greater openness and integration with the region, and in 2018, he had invited all Asean leaders to New Delhi as chief guests for the country's Republic Day parade.
This was 24 years after ESM Goh had received the same honour, he added.
As Singapore starts its term as coordinator of Asean-India dialogue relations next year, it looks forward to deepening the partnership between Asean and India, PM Lee said.
ST20201207_202002716716/miindia07-ol/Min Zhang/Jason Quah
The book ‘India on Our Minds’, at NUS UCC on Dec 7, 2020.
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Launch of “India on Our Minds” by PM Lee Hsien Loong. This publication is a candid reflection of India and India-Singapore relations by Singaporeans who carry the hope that India will rise above its challenges to join the ranks of the great nations of the world. One of the writers is Singapore's Senior Minister, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, a person who is admired both in Singapore and in India. The book includes essays on Nalanda University, Amaravati, India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
PHOTO: ST
One move Singapore hopes India will take is to revisit the merits of joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, he added, referring to the 15-country trade pact signed last month (Nov).
"In fact, India was on the minds of all the negotiators throughout the RCEP process, right till its very completion. The door will always be open to India."
He further said that the book is a "timely reminder that to Singapore, India will always be a valued friend and partner".
"I know these sentiments are reciprocated by our Indian friends, too. I look forward to working with Prime Minister Modi and his government to keep our relationship forward-looking, enterprising and substantial."
The 380-page book features 50 essays by Singaporeans, such as Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Yale-NUS College president Tan Tai Yong, DBS chief executive Piyush Gupta and novelist Meira Chand.
It also has personal essays, like that of Ambassador to the Caribbean Community Karen Tan on her time as Singapore's high commissioner to India between 2011 and 2013.
The book was edited by Ambassador-at-Large Tommy Koh and senior associate director Hernaikh Singh of the National University of Singapore's Institute of South Asian Studies.
Topics covered range from India's soft power, economic and geopolitical potential, pre-colonial ties with Singapore and how Singaporeans perceive Indians.
It retails for $28 in paperback and $39 in hardback, without GST.
ST20201207_202002716716/miindia07-ol/Min Zhang/Jason Quah
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong poses for a photo with co-editor Prof Tommy Koh at the launch of the book ‘India on Our Minds’, on Dec 7, 2020.
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Launch of “India on Our Minds” by PM Lee Hsien Loong. This publication is a candid reflection of India and India-Singapore relations by Singaporeans who carry the hope that India will rise above its challenges to join the ranks of the great nations of the world. One of the writers is Singapore's Senior Minister, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, a person who is admired both in Singapore and in India. The book includes essays on Nalanda University, Amaravati, India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
PHOTO: ST
In its foreword, ESM Goh noted that the two countries' trading and cultural links go back centuries, with Indian merchants being among the first to develop commercial ties with Singapore and Southeast Asia.
Today, Singapore's ties with India are strong, substantive and broad-based, he wrote. "I 'infected' Singapore with a 'mild India fever'. The fever did not become full blown but I never lost faith in India."
Mr Goh added that the country has immense economic potential with a deep pool of intellectual talent and daring entrepreneurs, and can exercise a moderating influence in the ongoing strategic rivalry between the US and China.
Professor Koh said at the launch that the book has not shied away from sensitive issues, like Ceca.
"It would not be wrong to say the book contains 50 love letters to India. I should, however, inform High Commissioner (to Singapore Periasamy) Kumaran, that some of the letters are written by loving critics of India," he added.
