Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Friday held one-on-one meetings with the top envoys of Japan and Singapore in India on the sidelines of a regional industrial development and investment conference in Surat.
He inaugurated the two-day Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) for South Gujarat at the Auro University campus in the diamond city.
On the sidelines of the conference, Patel held an important meeting with Japan's Ambassador to India Ono Keiichi and discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral economic cooperation, an official release said.
1 April 2026
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The ambassador congratulated the Chief Minister on the successful conduct of the conference and reaffirmed Japan's commitment to enhancing economic collaboration with Gujarat, the release said.
He emphasised that Japanese companies are particularly interested in partnering in the semiconductor sector. Keiichi expressed the need for government support in developing supply parks for supporting industries related to semiconductors.
The Chief Minister highlighted the availability of skilled human resources and a strong skill ecosystem in the state, as per the release.
The ambassador spoke about his positive experience while working with the Gujarat government and expressed eagerness for future collaboration. The discussion between Keiichi and the CM also covered new opportunities in bulk drug and medical device parks in Gujarat, the release added.
Singapore's High Commissioner to India, Simon Wong, also met Patel. The diplomat noted that Singapore's investment in Gujarat has been continuously growing, according to the release.
He highlighted that Singapore has made significant investments in GIFT City in Gandhinagar and expressed confidence that the financial services centre will emerge as a hub for USD-INR bond issuance in the coming years, it said.
The high commissioner shared ideas about setting up data centres in GIFT City and developing sandboxes for AI fintech and data localisation. The city-state in Southeast Asia is keen to collaborate with India as it emerges as a global data and financial hub, he told the Gujarat CM.
Gujarat's ease of doing business policies have made project implementation simpler, attracting both domestic and international investors, said Patel.
The Gujarat government is organising regional conferences across the state. These conferences are aimed at regional industrial development, promoting investments in various sectors as well as enhancing global engagement.
