From Nehru to Modi: India’s rising influence in the Indian Ocean
In a key diplomatic move, Modi seeks to boost India’s economic role in the region
The late great Lee Kuan Yew steadily advocated a larger role for India in the ocean named after it — the only ocean in the world named after a country. Despite his deep admiration for Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, Yew realised that Nehru was never ready for such a role.
Far from positioning India to replace the defunct British Empire as the keeper of peace and the rule of law in the Indian Ocean, Nehru struggled to maintain India’s stature in the fraught post-independence decades.
While India found itself at war with China and Pakistan, Singapore, a small and late entrant into the global community, surged ahead. Under the leadership of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding and longest-serving prime minister (from 1959 to 1990), the island nation prospered beyond expectations.
Today, it leads in almost every indicator of wealth and well-being, with one of the highest per capita GDPs in the world, not to mention substantial reserves in its well-managed sovereign wealth funds.
A tax haven
It is said that Singapore has enough money for its citizens to stop working for several years. But does that mean they don’t work? On the contrary, they work extremely hard, regardless of age, in a highly efficient meritocracy where foreigners also play a significant role. Singapore has become a global centre for finance, business, trade, oil refining, and education, while also being something of a tax haven. All of this adds to its influence on the world stage.
Could it be that what Nehru could not achieve, Modi now aspires to? In his official visit to Singapore and Brunei, Modi aims to expand India’s influence and footprint in the region. With nuclear submarines at its disposal, India, apart from China, is the only country in the region with such capabilities. Naturally, it hopes to play a more significant role in the Indian Ocean.
Special ties with Singapore, which Modi visited on Sept. 4-5, are to be strengthened. Of all the ASEAN nations, Singapore is India’s largest trading partner. Significant amounts of foreign investment that enters India, including funds for its stock market, are routed through Singapore. Last year alone, nearly $12 billion came to India via Singapore. The PM-PM dialogue between Modi and his Singaporean counterpart, Lawrence Wong, who assumed office just a few months ago, is thus of considerable importance.
Modi aims to deepen India’s strategic partnership with Singapore while also reinforcing good relations with the Sultanate of Brunei. His last visit to Singapore was in 2018, when Lee Hsien Loong, the son of Lee Kuan Yew, was prime minister. Modi’s visit so soon after Wong’s inauguration underscores the importance of India’s “Look East” policy. Accompanying Modi are External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
"Manpower skilling"
Commenting on the significance of the visit, Jaishankar remarked, “Given the transformation underway in India and the changes in the world … Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chosen to visit Singapore so early in his third term.” It is worth noting that Singapore’s president, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, is of Indian Tamil origin.
Modi is also scheduled to meet with senior minister and former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, as well as business and industry leaders.
Key agreements on “manpower skilling,” particularly in the semiconductor sector where India is making a significant push, are expected. India aims to continue supplying skilled workers to Singapore, including highly qualified executives, and also to learn best practices from Singapore in various sectors.
Cooperation on “maritime security, trade, investment, digitisation, skill development, sustainability, health, advanced manufacturing, and connectivity” is also likely to feature in the Memoranda of Understanding.
Modi’s visit to Singapore is clearly a win-win for both countries. Singapore has always played a balancing role between China, the origin of much of its population and ruling elite, and India, another large power in the region. Maintaining good relations is obvious, enhancing them mutually beneficial.
This visit is another feather in Modi’s diplomatic cap. Credit for enhancing India’s global image must be shared with EAM Jaishankar, and strengthening the region’s security architecture with NSA Doval. Good move, India; well done.