NEW DELHI : Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday held bilateral talks and witnessed the signing of several MoUs between India and Singapore.

The two leaders also jointly inaugurated the JN Port PSA Mumbai Terminal (BMCT) Phase-II in Delhi.

Describing Singapore as a vital pillar of India’s Act East Policy, PM Modi said both nations will continue to work together with ASEAN to advance their vision for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

The two countries also signed an agreement on Green and Digital Shipping corridors, which will give significant momentum to the green fuel supply chain and digital port clearance in the maritime sector.

The two countries released a joint statement which said that Singapore acknowledged with appreciation India’s interest in the Malacca Strait Patrol.

The Joint statement served as the roadmap for the comprehensive strategic partnership between India and Singapore.

The Strait of Malacca and its significance for India

The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water in Southeast Asia that is 550 miles long and is located between the east coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra and the west coast of the Malay Peninsula.

The funnel-shaped channel of the Malacca Strait is connected to the Strait of Singapore at its southeast end.

The Strait links the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea. The strait is less than 3 km wide at its narrowest, at Phillips Point.

The Strait of Malacca possesses huge commercial and strategic significance for global trade.

As the shortest sea route between the Middle East and East Asia, it lessens both transportation time and costs for trade traffic across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

Nearly 60 percent of the world’s maritime trade goes through this channel, making it an essential conduit of global commerce. It is also the principal channel for oil supplies to two of Asia’s largest consumers—China and Japan.

To aid its strategic interests in Southeast Asia and the Strait, India formed the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) in 2001, to ensure that there is rapid deployment of military assets in the region.

The strait facilitates the shortest passage between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, being over one-third shorter than the nearest alternative sea route.