China, Brunei deepen partnership

President Xi Jinping emphasized on Thursday the enduring friendship between China and Brunei, calling on the two countries to align their development strategies and deepen cooperation in key areas to bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Xi made the remarks during a meeting in Beijing with Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah.

This is Hassanal's 13th China tour. His most recent visit was in 2019 for the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.

The two leaders issued a joint statement on advancing the strategic cooperative partnership toward a China-Brunei community with a shared future and witnessed the signing of a series of cooperation documents in fields such as trade, legislation, joint construction of the Belt and Road, and the media.

Saying that China and Brunei set an example of relations between countries of different sizes, which feature equality and win-win cooperation, Xi called on the two countries to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, strengthen strategic coordination, and respect and trust each other.

Xi said he hopes the two countries will always be good neighbors facing each other across the sea, good friends trusting each other, and good partners for common development.

The two countries should promote the synergy of the Belt and Road Initiative with Brunei's Wawasan 2035 strategy, Xi said, while calling for promoting flagship BRI projects such as the Guangxi-Brunei Economic Corridor and the Hengyi petrochemical facilities.

He also called for the two countries to build the China-Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area and the New Land-Sea Corridor as dual hubs.

China is willing to support Brunei in promoting the digital economy, artificial intelligence and renewable energy, in order to help diversify its economy, Xi said.

The president also said China is ready to cooperate with Brunei on hybrid rice research and welcomes the country to use platforms like the China International Import Expo and the China-ASEAN Expo to increase its agricultural and fisheries exports to China.

China has become Brunei's second-largest source of investment and one of its top three trading partners.

Bilateral trade grew rapidly in the past decade, with the total trade value rising from $1.936 billion in 2014 to $2.805 billion in 2023.

Hassanal expressed his gratitude for China's support for Brunei's economic diversification strategy, saying that bilateral cooperation has benefited the Bruneian people.

As the international community faces new and complex challenges, Brunei is willing to strengthen cooperation with China, adhere to multilateralism and free trade, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries, he said.

According to the joint statement released on Thursday, Brunei expressed appreciation to China for implementing a visa-free policy for Bruneian citizens holding ordinary passports, allowing stays of up to 30 days, while China welcomed Brunei's decision to grant a 14-day visa-free entry policy for Chinese citizens holding ordinary passports.

Both sides expressed confidence that these visa-free arrangements will continue to deepen and facilitate exchanges in tourism, culture, business, education, transportation, health, sports development and infrastructure, as well as between sister cities.

Zhou Shixin, a research fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said the China visit made by Brunei's sultan during Chinese New Year showed that the Southeast Asian nation is trying to engage with China not just as a friend, but as a close relative.

The visit aimed not only to strengthen bilateral relations but also to deepen emotional bonds, which will foster a sense of recognition as a foundation for building a China-Brunei community with a shared future, Zhou said.

"Brunei has now become the eighth ASEAN country to commit to this vision, marking a new stage in China-Brunei relations and ushering in a new era of bilateral cooperation," he said.

The two nations have laid out detailed plans and initiatives to deepen cooperation, providing a predictable and stable foundation for Brunei's future development, he added.

Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, also met separately with the sultan of Brunei on Thursday.