Regional development, cooperation strengthened at bilateral leaders' meetings

Brunei

China is willing to work with Brunei to promote high-quality construction of the Belt and Road and continuously push forward the development of bilateral ties, President Xi Jinping said during his meeting with Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.

Xi also emphasized the need for both countries to make efforts to achieve positive progress in joint maritime development and to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.

He pointed out that China and Brunei are friendly maritime neighbors and good partners who trust and support each other. They have set an example of big and small countries treating each other as equals and promoting mutually beneficial cooperation, making positive contributions to regional peace, stability and development, Xi said.

He emphasized that China supports Brunei in pursuing a development path that suits its national conditions, and is willing to expand bilateral cooperation in areas such as food security, the digital economy and green development.

China attaches great importance to East Asian cooperation and it is ready to work with Brunei and other Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries to promote regional economic integration, he added.

The sultan said Brunei has always adhered to the one-China policy. He expressed Brunei's willingness to strengthen cooperation with China within the ASEAN framework and looks forward to early achievement of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, jointly making the South China Sea a sea of peace and friendship and promoting regional peace and security.

Brunei is also willing to closely communicate with China on issues such as the Palestine-Israel conflict, he added.