NEW DELHI. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Singapore on November 14-15 to attend the ASEAN-India Breakfast Summit, the 13th East Asia Summit and related meetings.
On November 14, the Prime Minister participated in the Second Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit. In his intervention, Mr Modi underlined that the early conclusion of the RCEP could spur economic growth and support job creation.
He expressed satisfaction at the substantial progress made in the negotiations thus far and added, he is personally determined to explore every opportunity to arrive at a balanced, satisfactory and mutually beneficial agreement.
On the same day, the Prime Minister attended the Fintech Festival and India-Singapore Hackathon event. He was the first Head of Government to deliver the keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Festival. In his address, the Prime Minister highlighted the impact of financial inclusion and digitization in India and its effect on economic access and empowerment, governance, delivery of public services, innovation and startups.
Prime Minister Modi launched a global platform by the name ‘APIX’, the first-of-its-kind, to connect fintech companies and financial institutions from India and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. He also attended the India-Singapore Hackathon event jointly organized by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Nanyang Technological University of Singapore (NTU).
During the ASEAN-India Breakfast Summit, which was attended by leaders of all ASEAN Countries, he emphasized on the salience of ASEAN’s unity and centrality in India’s “Act-East Policy”. He commended the consensus-driven approach of ASEAN and advocated for an open and inclusive Regional Security Architecture based on ASEAN Centrality.
The PM expressed support for deepening trade and investment relations with ASEAN and emphasized the importance of improving regional connectivity with ASEAN, including land, sea and digital connectivity. The ASEAN leaders expressed interest in furthering maritime cooperation with India, especially in the field of Blue Economy.
During the meeting, the ASEAN leaders joined the Prime Minister in expressing their satisfaction on the progress made on activities since the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit held in New Delhi in January 2018. Referring to his Shangri-la dialogue address earlier this year at Singapore, the Prime Minister observed that the principles outlined by him on the Indo-Pacific has found wider resonance and acceptance within the region.
Prime Minister Modi also attended the 13th East Asia Summit, which is a premier Leaders-led forum in the Indo-Pacific Region. In his intervention at the Plenary, he underlined the centrality of trade and investment in enhancing prosperity and security of the Indo-Pacific. In this context, the Prime Minister emphasized that India remains committed to the early conclusion of a balanced and comprehensive RCEP.
He joined EAS leaders in the adoption of five EAS Statements on topical issues viz. Foreign Terrorist Fighters and Returnees; Marine Plastic Debris; Smart Cities; Safe and Secure use of Nuclear and Radioactive Materials; ICT and Digital Economy. In particular, Mr Modi commended EAS for adoption of EAS Statement on Foreign Terrorist Fighters and Returnees and hoped that the cooperation between the member states will move beyond statements and towards more practical cooperation.
The Prime Minister, on the margins of the Summit, also held bilateral discussions with leaders of the United States, Singapore, Australia and Thailand.
