<p>India on Monday sought Singapore’s support to develop and enhance connectivity in the North-East.</p>.<p>A meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam on Monday identified the city-state’s support to New Delhi’s development and connectivity projects in and around North-East India as a new area of prospective bilateral cooperation. </p>.<p><br />New Delhi also sought Singapore’s support on urban rejuvenation, particularly on developing smart cities across the country. Singapore’s president arrived in New Delhi on Sunday for a four-day visit. He had a meeting with Modi at Hyderabad House here on Monday. He also had a separate meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. <br /><br />According to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, Modi and Tony Tan had “wide-ranging discussions on enhancement of bilateral relations and strengthening of cooperation on regional and international issues” to raise India-Singapore partnership “to a higher level”.<br /><br />Sources told Deccan Herald that New Delhi was actively seeking Singapore’s support to its development and connectivity projects in North-East India. The move came in response to Beijing’s push for Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor, added sources. <br /><br />Though India supported a Track-II study group on the BCIM-EC; the security establishments of New Delhi has been cagey about the economic corridor proposed by Beijing.<br /><br />India’s reservation stems from anticipation that the BCIM-EC project would expose the North-Eastern states – a theatre of many secessionist insurgencies and ethnic conflicts – and its eastern frontier to growing economic influence of China. During a visit to India last month, Japan’s Foreign Minister, Fumio Kishida, said that Tokyo was ready to support New Delhi’s development initiatives in North-East India, which, according to him, could serve as a connective node between South and South-East Asia. </p>
<p>India on Monday sought Singapore’s support to develop and enhance connectivity in the North-East.</p>.<p>A meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam on Monday identified the city-state’s support to New Delhi’s development and connectivity projects in and around North-East India as a new area of prospective bilateral cooperation. </p>.<p><br />New Delhi also sought Singapore’s support on urban rejuvenation, particularly on developing smart cities across the country. Singapore’s president arrived in New Delhi on Sunday for a four-day visit. He had a meeting with Modi at Hyderabad House here on Monday. He also had a separate meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. <br /><br />According to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, Modi and Tony Tan had “wide-ranging discussions on enhancement of bilateral relations and strengthening of cooperation on regional and international issues” to raise India-Singapore partnership “to a higher level”.<br /><br />Sources told Deccan Herald that New Delhi was actively seeking Singapore’s support to its development and connectivity projects in North-East India. The move came in response to Beijing’s push for Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor, added sources. <br /><br />Though India supported a Track-II study group on the BCIM-EC; the security establishments of New Delhi has been cagey about the economic corridor proposed by Beijing.<br /><br />India’s reservation stems from anticipation that the BCIM-EC project would expose the North-Eastern states – a theatre of many secessionist insurgencies and ethnic conflicts – and its eastern frontier to growing economic influence of China. During a visit to India last month, Japan’s Foreign Minister, Fumio Kishida, said that Tokyo was ready to support New Delhi’s development initiatives in North-East India, which, according to him, could serve as a connective node between South and South-East Asia. </p>
