Singapore City [Singapore], July 13 (ANI): External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar held a series of extensive high-level interactions during his visit to Singapore, underscoring the importance India attaches to its ties with the country, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) highlighted in an official statement on Sunday.

EAM Jaishankar visited Singapore on July 13. During the visit, he called on the President of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam and held meetings with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong and Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan.

The MEA noted in its statement that the leaders reviewed progress of the outcomes of Prime Minister's visit and the 2nd round of India Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR), which included areas of investments, industrial parks, semiconductors, infrastructure, skill development and connectivity. They also exchanged views on ASEAN, Indo-Pacific and global developments.

EAM Jaishankar also met Teo Chee Hean, former Senior Minister & Coordinating Minister for National Security and Chairman-designate of Temasek Holdings. Their discussion focused on transformation underway in India and opportunities for Temasek to expand its investments in India.

MEA underlined in its statement that the visit is part of continued high-level exchanges between two countries and reflects the importance India attaches to its relations with Singapore.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will arrive in Beijing on Sunday evening, his first trip to China in five years.

The visit comes at a time when both countries are trying to ease tensions and improve ties that plummeted following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020.Jaishankar, who is on a two-nation tour -- Singapore and China is scheduled to arrive in Beijing this evening after wrapping up the Singapore leg of his visit.

The External Affairs Minister is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, for a bilateral meeting on Monday.

Jaishankar and Wang last met in February on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Johannesburg, where both sides echoed calls for mutual trust and support.

Jaishankar will also attend a meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers' in Tianjin on July 15.

The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that 'EAM will visit the People's Republic of China to participate in the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers' Meeting (CFM) being held in Tianjin. EAM will also hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the CFM.'

This is Jaishankar's first visit to China since relations soured following the deadly military clash in Galwan in 2020.Jaishankar's visit follows visits by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who had travelled to China in June for the SCO meetings.

Wang Yi is also expected to visit India next month to meet NSA Ajit Doval -- part of a planned round of dialogue under the Special Representatives (SR) mechanism aimed at resolving the decades-old boundary dispute. (ANI)