Brunei Minister of Home Affairs Dato Seri Setia Awang Ahmaddin Abdul Rahman and Ambassador of China to Brunei Xiao Jianguo during the cake-cutting ceremony; and guests at the event. PHOTO: JAMES KON/Borneo Bulletin-ANN
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Borneo Bulletin/ANN): China has remained Brunei’s largest source of foreign investment for consecutive years and one of its top three trading partners.
In the first seven months of this year, bilateral trade between China and Brunei reached US$1.636 billion, said Ambassador of China to Brunei Darussalam Xiao Jianguo.
He said this in his welcoming remark at a reception celebrating the 76th anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China at a hotel in Gadong on Thursday evening.
“Our flagship Belt and Road cooperation projects, such as Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd continue to operate at a high standard while moving to the 2nd phase. The expansion of Muara Port is also progressing steadily. The two countries have also announced visa exemption to each other, making people-to-people exchanges more frequent and convenient,” he said.
He also shared, “The launching ceremony of Smart and Green Classroom donated by Chinese Huawei was at Pengiran Anak Puteri Hajah Masna Secondary School. In the classroom lit by solar power, I saw children exploring the smart equipment with eyes full of curiosity and joy – a reflection of their thirst for knowledge, their dreams for the future, and their recognition of the China-Brunei friendship.
“We stand ready to work with Brunei to implement more livelihood projects and expand cooperation in the digital and green sectors, so that more seeds of friendship may take root in the hearts of our peoples, and more tangible benefits can be achieved in the progress of economic diversification in Brunei. By joining hands together, we can create an even brighter future for our bilateral relations.”
Representing the government of His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei, as the guest of honour was Minister of Home Affairs Dato Seri Setia Awang Ahmaddin Abdul Rahman and his spouse Pengiran Datin Hajah Norzana Pengiran Rosli.
Following the cake-cutting to mark the ceremony, the ambassador presented a memento to the minister and the minister's spouse. The celebration also saw several performances, including the Little Red Flower Art Troupe from Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, and the local Chung Hwa schools. – Borneo Bulletin/ANN
