As Western banks leave, China adds Brunei to new silk road

The Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is pictured in the centre of Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei November 10, 2017. REUTERS/Ahim Rani

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Reuters) - On a tiny island off Brunei's northern tip on the South China Sea, thousands of Chinese workers are building a refinery and petrochemical complex, along with a bridge connecting it to the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan.

When completed, the first phase of the $3.4 billion complex on Muara Besar island, run by China's Hengyi Group, will be Brunei's largest-ever foreign investment project, and comes at a time when the oil-dependent country needs it the most.