Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to Singapore later this month for a visit that is expected to see India and the city-state formally elevate ties to a strategic partnership, establish a dialogue between their defence ministers and deepen cooperation in skill development.

Modi’s visit takes place as the two countries mark five decades of diplomatic ties. Soon after arriving in Singapore on 23 November, one of his key engagements will be to deliver the Singapore Lecture, where he is expected to outline the contours of India’s Act East policy—ties with South-East Asia—a Singaporean official said.

India decided to intensify its engagement with South-East Asian countries in the early 1990s as it opened up its economy to foreign investment. In recent years, Indian naval ships have been making port calls in various countries of the region—against the backdrop of a rising China and heightened tensions between China and many of its smaller South-East Asian neighbours over maritime boundaries.

Many South-East Asian nations, including Singapore, have been encouraging India to raise its profile in the region through trade pacts as well as strategic tie-ups in a bid to counter China’s rise.

On the second day, Modi will be meeting the top leadership of the country, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Modi will also address an economic convention, where he is expected to speak about his ‘Make in India’ and ‘Skill India’ programmes and outline the measures taken by his government to improve the ease of doing business in India.

The Singapore Lecture as well as the economic convention are expected to draw 1,000 people each, the official said,

‘Make in India’ aims to boost Indian manufacturing and provide employment to the approximately 12 million young Indians entering the labour market each year. ‘Skill India’, on the other hand, aims to equip young Indians with the skills needed to boost industrial production and help India reap its demographic dividend. According to the Indian government, some 65% of its 1.27 billion people are between the ages of 18 and 35.

“Singapore has expertise in this area and we have signed agreements with the Delhi and Rajasthan (state) governments for setting up training facilities that will train a group of people who will, in turn, train others," said a second Singaporean official, adding that one of the places that Modi is likely to visit in Singapore would be the Institute of Technical Education.

“We believe in India and we want to help India to grow. We are a small country, so we cannot pledge investments of billions, but we want to help India on the softer side—like skill development, that will help India grow," the official said.

Besides the Skill India programme, Singapore is also keen to partner India in its Smart Cities programme that aims to help India meet the growing challenges of urbanization. Singapore has been instrumental in drawing up plans for the new capital of Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati. A consortium of Singaporean companies is expected to bid for projects in the development of Amaravati.

Singaporean companies are also looking to help India develop its infrastructure, including ports and airports, the first Singaporean official said, pointing to the example of the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) winning the contract to develop the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust’s fourth container terminal earlier this year.

According to India’s foreign ministry, “Economic cooperation is a major pillar of our relationship" with Singapore, India’s 10th largest trade partner globally and second largest in South-East Asia.

Bilateral trade expanded after the conclusion of a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement in 2005, touching $17.1 billion in 2014-15.

“We have achieved a lot in the past 50 years and the document on strategic partnership that we will sign will look at consolidating the existing ties as well as ways to take them forward into the next 50 years," said the first official.

Apart from the strategic partnership document, the two countries will also formalize an annual dialogue between the defence ministers of the two countries, the first official said.

Modi is also expected to address the Indian community in Singapore before ending his visit, an Indian high commission official said.

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